Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell dies aged 52

The US rock star passed away on Wednesday in Detroit 
Jennifer Ruby18 May 2017
The Weekender

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Rock star and acclaimed songwriter Chris Cornell has died aged 52.

The Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman, who wrote and sang the Casino Royale theme tune, died Wednesday night in Detroit just hours after performing on stage.

Brian Bumbery called the death "sudden and unexpected" and said his wife and family were shocked by it.

The statement said the family would be working closely with the medical examiner to determine the cause and asked for privacy.

Chris Cornell with wife Vicky Karayiannis and children Toni and Chris on April 18, 2017 in New York City
Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images

Cornell had appeared upbeat on his Twitter feed before the show, posting a picture of the outside of the Fox Theatre in Detroit where they were playing with the caption: “#Detroit finally back to Rock City!!!! @soundgarden #nomorebullshit.”

On May 14 Cornell posted a heartwarming Mother's Day message online writing: "Happy Mother's Day to my mom you thank for giving me the love of my life..."

Chris Cornell - In pictures

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Cornell was married to publicist Vicky Karayiannis and the couple have a daughter, Toni, 13 and son, Christopher, 12.

The family attended the Los Angeles premiere of The Promise together last month.

He was previously married to Soundgarden manager Susan Silver but the pair divorced in 2004. The couple have a daughter, Lillian Jean, 17.

Cornell formed Soundgarden, credited with helping to create ‘grunge’, back in 1984 and the band enjoyed hits with Black Hole Sun and Spoonman.

Cornell at the MusiCares MAP Fund Benefit Concert in Hollywood, California, May 11, 2007.
Reuters

Their 1994 album Superunknown debuted at number one on the Billboard Chart and went on to be nominated for a number of Grammy Awards.

The band parted ways in 1997 after a series of creative differences and Cornell went on to form rock group Audioslave in 2001.

They released three albums and received three Grammy nominations over the course of six years and were the first American rock band to person an open-air concert in Cuba.

Audioslave disbanded in 2007, with Cornell saying that the split was “due to irresolvable personality conflicts as well as musical differences.”

He released four solo studio albums, Euphoria Morning (1991), Carry On (2007), Scream (2009) and Higher Truth (2015).

Cornell wrote and recorded You Know My Name in 2006 for James Bond film Casino Royale and received a Golden Globe nomination for The Keeper, which appeared in 2011 film, Machine Gun Preacher.

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