Rocker Chris Cornell, who rose to fame as the lead singer of the bands Soundgarden and later Audioslave, has died at age 52, according to his representative.
Cornell, who was on tour, died Wednesday night in Detroit, Brian Bumbery said in a statement to The Associated Press. Cornell had performed in a Detroit concert with Soundgarden that night.
Cornell’s representative said that the death, which was ruled as a suicide, was “sudden and unexpected” and shared that Cornell’s wife and family were shocked by it. The statement said the family would be working closely with the medical examiner to determine the cause and asked for privacy.
Very sad news about Chris Cornell today. A sad loss of a great talent to the world, his friends and family. Rest In Peace. pic.twitter.com/BlgxE6cJLH
— Joe Perry (@JoePerry) May 18, 2017
News of Cornell’s saw a flurry of tweets expressing sadness. Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry tweeted: “Very sad news about Chris Cornell today. A sad loss of a great talent to the world, his friends and family. Rest In Peace.”
Established in 1984 by Cornell, guitarist Kim Thayil and bassist Hiro Yamamoto, Soundgarden’s third studio album, Badmotorfinger, in 1991 spawned popular singles “Jesus Christ Pose,” ″Rusty Cage” and “Outshined” that received regular play on alternative rock radio stations.
— Rage Against The Machine ★ (@RATM) May 18, 2017
Soundgarden disbanded in 1997 due to tensions in the band, and Cornell pursued a solo career. In 2001, he joined Audioslave, a supergroup that included former Rage Against the Machine members Tom Morello, Brad Wilk and Tim Commerford. The band released three albums in six years and also performed at a concert billed as Cuba’s first outdoor rock concert by an American band, though some Cuban artists have disputed that claim.
Audioslave disbanded in 2007, Cornell reunited with Soundgardenin 2012 and released the band’s sixth studio album, King Animal.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Cornell family in these trying times.
