OneRepublic & Toni Cornell Team Up For Tribute 'Hallelujah' Performance

Chris Cornell's daughter Toni Cornell paid tribute to her late father Chris Cornell and Linkin Park's Chester Bennington by teaming up with OneRepublic to perform "Hallelujah" on GMA. 

Linkin Park was scheduled to perform on GMA's "Summer Concert Series" in Central Park on August 4th, but following Chester's passing, OneRepublic stepped in to fill in for the band. 

Ryan Tedder & crew performed their new single "Rich Love," among other hits of theirs, and ended the performance by bringing out 12-year-old Toni to help them perform "Hallelujah." As the performance went on, a tribute video to both Bennington and Cornell appeared on stage -- there was not a dry eye in Central Park or from viewers watching at home. 

Toni told GMA of performing for her father and Chester, "It’s an honor to perform this for my dad and Chester and to sing for them."

Ryan said that they chose "Hallelujah" to perform in particular for the tribute performance. He said just before he and Toni took the stage, "Chester sang this at Chris' funeral, and this is arguably one of the greatest songs written in the last 50 years, I think, by most people's accords. It's a very special song to us, and I think to most people, and especially to Toni as well."  

Before the performance, Chester's wife Talinda Bennington tweeted her thanks to Ryan and OneRepublic for "honoring [her] husband Chester and dear pal Chris."

Chris Cornell and Chester Bennington both passed away by suicide. Chester's body was found in his California home on what would have been Chris's 53rd birthday. One week following, Talinda wrote a note to all of Chester's friends and fans, saying, "One week ago today, I lost my soulmate and my children lost their hero-their Daddy. We had a fairytale life and now it has turned into some sick Shakespearean tragedy. How do I move on? How do I pick up my shattered soul? The only answer I know is to raise our babies with every ounce of love I have left. I want to let my community and the fans worldwide know that we feel your love. We feel your loss as well. My babies are so young to have lost their daddy. And I know that all of you will help keep his memory alive. He was a bright, loving soul with an angels voice. And now he is pain free singing his songs in all of our hearts. May God Bless us all and help us turn to one another when we are in pain. Chester would've wanted us to do so. Rest In Peace, my love."

And on Father's Day earlier this year, exactly a month after the late rocker was found dead in his hotel room, Toni wrote a tear-jerking note to her late father on social media. She said in the long letter, "Let me start by saying how much I love you and how much you mean to me. You are my idol, someone I’ve always looked up to. You were always there for me. You pushed me forward every day, and you still do."


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