Music World Mourns as Legendary Rock Singer Dies 24hrs After Detroit Performance

American singer and the lead vocalist of the famous Soundgarden band, Chris Cornell has died at the age of 52, according to Brian Bumbery his representative.

Chris Cornell

 

Chris Cornell, lead singer of American hard rock bands, Soundgarden and Audioslave, has died aged 52.

 

In a statement to the Associated Press, his representative, Brian Bumbery, said Cornell died on Wednesday night in Detroit.

 

Bumbery called the death “sudden and unexpected” and said his wife and family were shocked. The statement said the family would be working closely with the medical examiner to determine the cause, and asked for privacy.

 

Cornell had been touring with Soundgarden, and was tweeting upbeat messages about a sold-out concert the band played in Detroit just hours before his death on Wednesday.

 

Cornell was best known for fronting the two iconic bands and singing 'You Know My Name', the theme song for James Bond film, Casino Royale. He was scheduled to play the US festival Rock the Range in Columbus tonight.

 

He was reportedly performing with Soundgarden gig last night at Detroit's Fox Theatre, part of the band's North American headline tour. Pictures have emerged on Twitter from the concert.

 

Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Cornell was one of the chief architects of the grunge movement, forming Soundgarden alongside guitarist Kim Thyail and bassist Hiro Yamamoto in 1984.

 

Soundgarden were famously the first grunge band to sign to a major label (A&M in 1988), paving the way for the likes of Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains to break out.

 

Cornell struggled with drug and alcohol addiction for many years, checking into rehab in 2003. Speaking to Spin at the time, he said: “I actually like rehab a lot. It’s like school; it’s interesting. I’m learning that I can be teachable at age 38. I would sometimes drink before we played. It wasn’t a big deal.

"It became a bigger deal when I stopped doing the other things I liked to do. I used to ride mountain bikes around with my friends, and we’d keep 40-ouncers where the water bottle was supposed to be. But once I removed the mountain and the bike, there was just the drinking.”

 

His rock peers paid tribute, such as Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, Mark Lanegan, Billy Idol and Jane’s Addiction and Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Dave Navarro.