That record featured the brooding, dramatic Cornell standout “Beyond the Wheel,” which showed off his impressive vocal ability and the band’s proclivity for coupling heavy-metal riffing with shuddering noise affectations, foreshadowing grunge. Soundgarden put out their debut single, the trippy, ominous “Hunted Down,” and EP, Screaming Life, in 1987.Īfter the release of another EP – 1988’s Fopp, whose title track is improbably an Ohio Players cover and marked the arrival of drummer Matt Cameron – Soundgarden came into their own on their first full-length, 1988’s Ultramega OK. The next year, they recorded three songs for the pivotal Deep Six compilation, which placed them alongside fellow grunge architects Melvins and Green River (the latter of which contained future Pearl Jam and Mudhoney members). With the arrival of drummer Scott Sundquist, Cornell moved to singing and playing guitar full-time. They chose the name Soundgarden in tribute to a public organ-pipe sculpture that created sounds in the wind. The band formed in 1984 after a period where Cornell and bassist Hiro Yamamoto played together in a band called the Shemps, eventually inviting guitarist Kim Thayil to play with them. Cornell eventually carved a path for himself after taking piano and guitar lessons before finding his way to the drum kit, which he played in an early incarnation of Soundgarden. He had two brothers and three sisters and jokingly likened his family to The Brady Bunch in interviews. Between Soundgarden and his other projects, Cornell reportedly sold nearly 15 million albums altogether in the U.S.īorn Christopher John Boyle in Seattle on July 20th, 1964, Cornell – who took his mother’s maiden name after his parents divorced – was the son of a pharmacist father and accountant mother in Seattle. He later explored heavier territory with members of Rage Against the Machine in the supergroup Audioslave and his delicate side as a solo artist, with frequent acoustic shows in recent years. With Soundgarden, he could shift between raging metal declarations (“Jesus Christ Pose”), somber mood pieces (“Fell on Black Days”) and psychedelia (“Black Hole Sun”) with ease.Īfter years of playing generally aggressive music in the Eighties, his full range of musical expression showed in 1991 when he created Temple of the Dog – a supergroup featuring Soundgarden and eventual Pearl Jam members – to pay tribute to late Mother Love Bone frontman Andrew Wood. A great singer, songwriter and the loveliest man.”Ĭornell’s artistry was marked by his impressive multi-octave vocal range that displayed a rare sensitivity within heavy music. Incredibly missed,” Elton John wrote, “Shocked and saddened by the sudden death of Chris Cornell. Jimmy Page called the singer “Incredibly talented. Chris Cornell has flown into the black hole sun.” “A shining voice in music has left us in the midnight,” Perry Farrell tweeted. “His wife, Vicky, and family were shocked to learn of his sudden and unexpected passing, and they will be working closely with the medical examiner to determine the cause,” his publicist said in a statement.Ĭornell’s peers and influences posted numerous tributes to the singer-guitarist on social media. EMS workers pronounced Cornell dead at the scene.Įarlier on Wednesday, the singer had played a show with Soundgarden, who were midway through their tour. Cornell unresponsive laying on the bathroom floor,” according to Woody. When the friend went to Cornell’s hotel room at the MGM Grand Detroit to check on him, he “made it inside the hotel room, where he found Mr. from a family friend, according to Michael Woody, Director of Media Relations for the Detroit Police Department. Police received a 911 call at approximately 12 a.m. A full autopsy report was still being completed as of Thursday afternoon. Chris Cornell, the dynamic vocalist and guitarist whose versatile showmanship as Soundgarden and Temple of the Dog’s frontman was a signpost of the grunge era, died by suicide Wednesday night. He was 52.Ĭornell killed himself by hanging, according to the Wayne County Medical Examiner (via Associated Press).
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