Stars tell of ‘shock and sadness’ over ‘suicide’ of singer Cornell
SOUNDGARDEN SINGER Chris Cornell killed himself in a Detroit hotel room, according to the city’s medical examiner.
The Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office said last night it had completed the preliminary post-mortem examination on 52-year-old Cornell but that “a full autopsy report has not yet been completed”.
Cornell’s death stunned his family and his fans, who he had just performed for hours earlier at a show in Detroit.
Soundgarden’s current tour kicked off in late April and was planned to run through until May 27.
Cornell was a leader of the grunge movement with Seattlebased Soundgarden – with whom he gained critical and commercial acclaim – but also found success outside the band with other projects, including Audioslave, Temple Of The Dog as well as solo albums. Cornell was successful in every band line-up he was part of. His voice was memorable and powerful, and he was a skilled songwriter.
Earlier stars from the music world have paid tribute to Cornell.
Sir Elton John, Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page and producer Nile Rodgers spoke of their loss following the star’s death, just hours after Soundgarden played a gig in Detroit.
Sir Elton wrote on Twitter: “Shocked and saddened by the sudden death of Chris Cornell. A great singer, songwriter and the loveliest man.”
And Page wrote: “RIP Chris Cornell. Incredibly Talented. Incredibly Young. Incredibly Missed.”
US rock musician Mark Lanegan, a contemporary from the Seattle grunge era, wrote simply: “RIP Chris Cornell. Damn.”
Producer Rodgers described Cornell as “my special brother”. He said in a statement that he could not process news of his death. Rodgers said: “I’m shocked, I don’t even know how to deal with it.” Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry also paid tribute, writing: “A sad loss of a great talent.”