Chris Cornell

Chris Cornell
Cornell in 2011
Born
Christopher John Boyle

(1964-07-20)July 20, 1964
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
DiedMay 18, 2017(2017-05-18) (aged 52)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Cause of deathSuicide by hanging
Resting placeHollywood Forever Cemetery
Occupations
  • Singer
  • musician
  • songwriter
Years active1983–2017
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1990; div. 2004)​
Vicky Cornell
​
(m. 2004)​
Children3
RelativesPeter Cornell (brother) • Patrick Cornell (brother) • Suzy Cornell (sister) • Katy Cornell (sister) • Maggie Cornell (sister)
AwardsFull list
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • drums (early)
Labels
Formerly of
Websitechriscornell.com Edit this at Wikidata
Signature

Christopher John Cornell (né Boyle; July 20, 1964 – May 18, 2017) was an American musician. He was best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and the primary lyricist for the rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave. He also had a solo career and contributed to numerous movie soundtracks. Cornell was the founder and frontman of Temple of the Dog, a one-off tribute band dedicated to his late friend, musician Andrew Wood. Several music journalists, fan polls and fellow musicians have regarded Cornell as one of the greatest rock singers of all time.[2][3]

Cornell is considered a key figure of the 1990s grunge movement with an extensive songwriting history, a nearly four-octave vocal range[4] and a powerful vocal belting technique. Cornell released four solo studio albums, Euphoria Morning (1999), Carry On (2007), Scream (2009), and Higher Truth (2015); the live album Songbook (2011); and two compilations, The Roads We Choose (2007) and Chris Cornell (2018), the latter released posthumously. He received a Golden Globe Award nomination for his song "The Keeper", which appeared in the 2011 film Machine Gun Preacher, and co-wrote and performed "You Know My Name", the theme song to the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale. His last solo release before his death was the charity single "The Promise", written for the ending credits for the 2016 film of the same name.

Cornell sold 14.8 million albums, 8.8 million digital songs, and 300 million on-demand audio streams in the U.S. alone,[5][6] as well as over 30 million records worldwide.[7][8][9] Nominated for 18 Grammy Awards, he won three.[10][11] Cornell was ranked No. 4 on the list of "Heavy Metal's All-Time Top 100 Vocalists" by Hit Parader,[12] No. 9 on the list of "Best Lead Singers of All Time" by Rolling Stone,[13] No. 80 on the list of the "200 Greatest Singers of All Time" by Rolling Stone,[14] and No. 12 on MTV's "22 Greatest Voices in Music".[15] He was voted "Rock's Greatest Singer" by readers of Guitar World.[16]

Cornell struggled with depression for most of his life. He was found dead in his Detroit hotel room in the early hours of May 18, 2017, after performing at a Soundgarden concert an hour earlier at the Fox Theatre. His death was ruled as suicide by hanging.[5]

  1. ^ Costa, Emilia (October 22, 2009). "Chris Cornell Rocks Grand Opening of Hard Rock Cafe Las Vegas!". Spin. Archived from the original on July 3, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  2. ^ "Chris Cornell had one of rock's great voices – and one of its most curious minds". Los Angeles Times. May 18, 2017.
  3. ^ "Pearl Jam's Stone Gossard: Chris Cornell is the GOAT". December 17, 2022.
  4. ^ Gundersen, Edna (March 24, 2009). "Chris Cornell takes another sonic shift with 'Scream'". USA Today. Archived from the original on March 27, 2009. Retrieved April 29, 2009.
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference catalog was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Chris Cornell Dead At 52, Radio Reacts". AllAccess.com. May 18, 2017. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  7. ^ "18 Things You Might Not Have Known About Chris Cornell". iHeartRadio. May 18, 2017. Archived from the original on May 18, 2017. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
  8. ^ "Bio – Chris Cornell". Chris Cornell Official website. Archived from the original on May 30, 2017. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
  9. ^ "Soundgarden's Chris Cornell adds second Auckland show". Stuff.co.nz. May 21, 2015. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
  10. ^ Baltin, Steve (May 24, 2017). "Remembering Chris Cornell: A sweet sunshower". Grammy. Archived from the original on April 23, 2018. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
  11. ^ "Chris Cornell – The Recording Academy". Grammy. Archived from the original on April 23, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  12. ^ "ROB HALFORD, ROBERT PLANT, BON SCOTT, OZZY Are Among 'Heavy Metal's All-Time Top 100 Vocalists'". Blabbermouth. December 1, 2006.
  13. ^ "Rolling Stone Readers Pick the Best Lead Singers of All Time". Rolling Stone. April 12, 2011. Archived from the original on August 26, 2017.
  14. ^ "The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time". Rolling Stone. January 1, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  15. ^ "Listology:MTV's 22 Greatest Voices in Music". Listology. March 8, 2005. Archived from the original on December 21, 2011.
  16. ^ "Guitar World Readers Vote Soundgarden's Chris Cornell Rock's Greatest Singer". Guitar World. November 1, 2013. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013.