Chris Cornell, Audioslave and Soundgarden Singer, Dead at 52

Chris Cornell, the rock legend and lead singer of both Soundgarden and Audioslave has passed away, at the young age of 52.

His death was confirmed this morning by Cornell’s representative, Brian Bumbery, who told that Associated Press that he had passed away the previous evening (of May 17). He reported that his passing was “sudden and unexpected” and that the cause of death was still unknown.

And the news has come as a shock to people and fans across the world, due to its sudden nature. Just hours before his death, Cornell had played a full Soundgarden concert at a Fox Theater venue, where he performed a total of 20 songs, in seemingly full health and energy.

Cornell was one of the biggest names of the ‘80s and ‘90s and present day. He was most famous for being the frontman of the grunge band, Soundgarden (who else loved this band?), who boasted the hugely successful album, “Superunknown” which charted at number one in the US album charts and has since sold over nine million copies across the globe. During his hiatus from Soundgarden during the early ‘00s, he also fronted the band, Audioslave. Cornell was also a talented songwriter, with his own song, “You Know My Name” going on to be the theme tune for the 2006 James Bond movie, Casino Royale. A true talent has been lost.

His representative has since gone to ask fans to respect his family’s privacy at this said time, and that he will be ‘working closely’ with the medical examiner to determine the cause of Cornell’s passing.

Fans and colleagues have taken to Twitter to share their condolences.

Chris Cornell
Soundgarden
Audioslave
Temple of the Dog
One of rock music’s greatest voices – ever. pic.twitter.com/FeT1bJJzIU

— Eric Alper (@ThatEricAlper) 18 May 2017

Oh no Chris Cornell. I was lucky enough to meet him once, one of the coolest people ever. And that voice: https://t.co/nP3bMcenmL #RIP

— Wil Anderson (@Wil_Anderson) 18 May 2017

I hope it’s ok with the grief police if I say Chris Cornell’s death has come as an unexpected gut punch this morning.

— Ed Byrne (@MrEdByrne) 18 May 2017