Warning: The following article contains mention of suicide.
The music world was left reeling as news broke of Chris Cornell‘s untimely passing. The frontman of Soundgarden and Audioslave, known for his powerful vocals and grunge rock legacy, died at the age of 52 in Detroit on May 18, 2017. Initial reports of Cornell’s death were met with disbelief and confusion. However, the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office in Michigan has now officially confirmed that the singer died by suicide. This tragic revelation came after an autopsy was performed.
The circumstances surrounding Cornell’s final hours have begun to emerge. He had just finished performing with Soundgarden at Detroit’s Fox Theatre, where eyewitnesses described the show as “outstanding” with a full set and encore. Eerily, Cornell’s last song of the night was a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “In My Time of Dying”.
Following the concert, Cornell returned to his room at the MGM Grand Hotel. It was there that events took a heartbreaking turn. A family friend, responding to concerns from Cornell’s wife, Vicky, discovered the musician unresponsive in the bathroom around midnight. Emergency services were called, but sadly, Cornell was pronounced dead at the scene.
What happened to Chris Cornell?
The news has sent shockwaves through the music industry and fan base alike. Cornell’s representative expressed the family’s shock and devastation, stating they would be working closely with the medical examiner to understand the circumstances fully.
Cornell’s passing marks another tragic loss in the grunge rock community. He joins a somber list of influential frontmen who died young, including Kurt Cobain of Nirvana and Layne Staley of Alice in Chains. Throughout his career, Cornell had been open about his struggles with substance abuse and the toll it had taken on many of his peers. In a 2015 interview with Rolling Stone, he reflected on the “limitless potential” of the talented friends he had lost over the years.
It goes without saying that Cornell’s legacy as a pioneer of grunge and a powerful voice in rock will undoubtedly endure for generations to come.
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