MUMBAI: After fulfilling one of his dreams of performing with The Stone Temple Pilots, Chester Bennington has parted ways with the American rock band through a statement issued over the weekend. Two and a half years after replacing Scott Weiland as frontman for the band, Bennington now wants to focus his entire time on his family and Linkin Park.

“The last few years have been an amazing experience,” wrote Bennington. “I got to create and perform with one of the greatest rock bands of our generation, that had so much influence on me growing up. With the amount of time STP deserves, in addition to being in Linkin Park, and with the needs of my family, one of them always seems to fall short. Going in to this, the four of us. Robert, Eric, Dean and myself knew what we were up against. We decided in due fairness to friends, fans and the legacy of STP that it needs more than time was allowing me. And in all fairness to my bandmates in Linkin Park, as well as to myself and to my family, I’m going to focus solely on Linkin Park so I can contribute 100%. It’s been an amazing experience and a dream come true, and I look forward to the future of both STP and Linkin Park.”

The decision to part ways was an amicable one and it is yet unclear on who will take the vocal responsibilities now that Bennington has moved on. The band will collaborate with Joss Stone for their upcoming performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, as Joss Stone Temple Pilots.

Stone Temple Pilots (now comprising Eric Kretz, Dean and Robert DeLeo) issued a statement thanking Bennington for his contribution. "What an amazing and beautiful few years we've all had together. It was our honor to play and see all of you recently on tour. We have thoroughly enjoyed our time together with Chester not only professionally, but even more so on a personal level. Sadly, it was evident that scheduling and time was working against us. Within this, there is a new beginning. There is an abundance of new music written, some of which is already recorded. We have had the fortune of playing with some very talented singers over the last few months and will continue to do so until each of us feels and knows when the right person arrives.”

Bennington's contribution to the band includes the single ‘Out of Time’ and a five track EP- 'High Rise' released in 2013.