Musician Chris Cornell who rose to fame as the singer of Soundgarden, Audioslave, and Temple of the Dog died last night after performing in a concert in Detroit. He was 52 years old.
In a statement issued to The Associated Press, Cornell’s representative Brian Bumbery said his death was “sudden and unexpected.”
Soundgarden was one of the Seattle bands credited with creating the Grunge sound of the 1990s. They were first Grunge band to be signed to a major label. Although the band broke up in 1997, they reunited in 2010 and were currently on the last legs of a tour.
VH1 ranked Soundgarden at number 14 in their special 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock. They have sold more than 10 million albums in the US alone, and were nominated for nine Grammy awards, winning two.
Cornell also recorded four solo albums as well as the James Bond movie theme song “You Know My Name” for Casino Royale in 2006.
Chris Cornell’s song writing and near four-octave vocal range made him one of the most important musicians of his generation. He was rated 9th in the list of “Best Lead Singers of All Time” by Rolling Stone Magazine, and 12th in MTV’s “Greatest Voices in Music“.
As he says in Black Hole Sun, “No one sings like you anymore…”
