Chris Martin performs tribute to Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington

On the opening date of their North American tour, Coldplay’s Chris Martin paid tribute to Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington, who died last month.

Martin performed the song Crawling solo on piano at the New Jersey concert, restarting it after a fumbled beginning, saying: “I know this is probably going to end up on YouTube so I want to do it right, and I want to do it respectfully.” He added: “This is to everybody who misses someone you know. This is for our whole community of musicians.”

Linkin Park rapper Mike Shinoda posted a video of the performance, writing that “it sounded beautiful”.

Bennington, who was 41, killed himself at his home in Palos Verdes, California, on 20 July. He had struggled with substance abuse and depression during his life, with his candid lyrics often referring to mental turmoil. In the wake of his death, Linkin Park set up a website with suicide support information, and tributes from fans.

Coldplay have frequently paid tribute to other artists. At Glastonbury in 2016, they performed a cover of Boys That Sing by Viola Beach, a young British band who died in a car accident in Sweden earlier that year. Martin also performed a tribute to George Michael at this year’s Brit awards, singing A Different Corner, and on their 2016 US tour the band played songs honouring Prince and Gene Wilder. Back in 2012, they performed a piano ballad version of the Beastie Boys’ (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!), after the death of their rapper Adam Yauch.