Real life forced a planned Rascal Flatts interview to pivot when news broke that Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington had committed suicide. The trio learned about it realtime.

Gary LeVox, Joe Don Rooney and Jay DeMarcus were talking to Whitney Allen, host of the Big Time With Whitney Allen, when they learned the rock singer was dead at the age of 41. A clip of the interview on the radio show website includes a statement from the group:

"What a tragic way to lose somebody," LeVox is heard saying. "Our thoughts and and prayers are with everybody at the Linkin Park camp and their families."

TMZ first reported Bennington's death on Thursday (July 20). According to Diffuser, he was found hanged at his home just before 9AM. He was 41 yeas old and leaves behind six children. An employee found his body.

Something similar happened in April 2016 when news that Prince had died while singer Hillary Scott was hosting media to discuss what would become her first solo album. She was quickly able to share a memory of his music while tearing up talking about the news:

The rock community has been besieged by unexpected deaths in recent years, including Chris Cornell's recent suicide, and prior to that the deaths of Prince, Glenn Frey, David Bowie and George Michael.

Rascal Flatts had joined Whitney Allen for an interview to talk about their tour and current single "Yours If You Want It." The group recently announced they'll return to Las Vegas for a residency in October.

See Which Country Stars Died in 2017

More From Taste of Country