Soundgarden Frontman Chris Cornell Found Dead at 52
The singer was touring in Detroit with his iconic Seattle band.
By Michael Rietmulder May 18, 2017
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Seattle rock icon Chris Cornell has died at age 52. The revered singer was touring with his pioneering grunge band Soundgarden and was found in his hotel room after a Wednesday concert in Detroit, according to the Associated Press.
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The Wayne County Medical Examiner’s office has yet to determine his cause of death, but Detroit police are investigating it as a possible suicide.
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A Detroit police spokesman told the AP that a friend went to check on Cornell after receiving a call from the singer’s wife. The friend forced open the door to Cornell’s room at the MGM Grand Detroit and discovered Cornell on the bathroom floor.
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Billboard described Cornell as being in “fine form and spirits” during Soundgarden’s show last night. The magazine writes: “Though there’s now a macabre irony in the frontman’s choice to slip a bit of Led Zeppelin’s ‘In My Time of Dying’ into the closing ‘Slaves & Bulldozers.’ Cornell was nothing less than ebullient through the night, in good voice – hitting all the expected screams – and fist-bumping with fans in the pit in front of the stage.”
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Cornell was an influential part of Seattle’s legendary rock scene during the 1990s. Along with Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains, Soundgarden helped spur the grunge movement that captured a generation. He later went on to form Audioslave with members of Rage Against the Machine.
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Videos of Cornell’s final performance last night surfaced online Thursday morning. Watch clips from his last concert here.
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