The widow of Chris Cornell, the former Soundgarden frontman, opened up about her husband’s death in an emotional interview recently. She took the opportunity to discuss her husband’s suicide and the stigma attached to addiction. Vicky Cornell was interviewed by Robin Roberts on ‘Good Morning America’ and she wanted to make it clear that her husband wasn’t just a rock star junkie. She explained that she had lost her soulmate and described him as a loving husband and the best father. She also described the rock star as the love of her life.
Chris Cornell died on May 18, 2017, at the age of 52 and his cause of death is listed as suicide by hanging. He was found dead by his bodyguard. He was staying at the MGM Grand in Detroit as he had performed at Fox Theater the previous day. Cornell had struggled with drug addiction prior to his death. The autopsy report showed that there were drugs in his system on the night he died but these were prescription drugs and only at therapeutic levels. Therefore, the autopsy report concluded that this was not a factor in his death.
Despite these findings, his wife believes that his level of impairment meant that her husband wasn’t thinking clearly when he took his own life. In her opinion, he loved his life with her and their children and would not have intentionally taken his own life. She does not believe that he willingly planned to kill himself and had spoken to him the night before he died following his performance. Vicky Cornell then went on to express her belief that it is time for everyone to accept addiction as a medical condition rather than a life choice. She said that people simply do not recognize it as a disease and that it is necessary to raise awareness of the issues surrounding addiction.
Chris Cornell was a musician, singer, and songwriter who was best-known as the lead vocalist of both ‘Audioslave’ and ‘Soundgarden’. He was also the founder and frontman of ‘Temple of the Dog’ which was a tribute band dedicated to Andrew Wood, his late friend. Cornell worked as a solo artist in addition to being a member of these bands and many contributions to soundtracks. He was at the height of his career during the 1990s when he was considered one of the leaders of the grunge movement. Cornell was easily recognized as an artist as his vocal abilities encompassed a range of four octaves. He released his first solo album ‘Euphoria Morning’ in 1999. This was followed by three further solo albums; ‘Carry On’, ‘Scream’, and ‘Higher Truth’.
The talented artist enjoyed huge success throughout his career and sold over 14.8 million albums. He was nominated for a staggering 15 Grammy Awards in recognition of his talents, of which he won two. Cornell’s first wife was Susan Silver who he married in 1990. They had a daughter, Lillian Jean, before divorcing in 20014. He then married Vicky Karayiannis in 2004. Their daughter, Toni, was born in 2004 followed by their son, Christopher Nicholas, in 2005.
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