Soundgarden lead singer Chris Cornell passed away Wednesday night at the age of 52. He was an icon of ’90s grunge, trailblazing a new era of rock music with hits like “Black Hole Sun” and “The Day I Tried To Live.”
Cornell’s representative Brian Bumbery told the Associated Press that Chris passed away Wednesday night in Detroit, Michigan. Bumbery said that the singer’s wife and family were shocked by his death, which he describes as “sudden and unexpected.”
Next to Nirvana, Soundgarden stood at the apex of grunge culture. This rock group formed in 1984, with Cornell, guitarist Kim Thayil and bassist Hiro Yamamoto.
They originally broke up in 1997, as Cornell went solo and released the album Euphoria Morning. Soundgarden got back together in 2010 and continued to tour the world with their brand of music.
Soundgarden has released six studio albums altogether. Their first album Ultramega OK hit stores in 1988, while their latest album King Animal came out in 2012. This band has won two Grammy Awards, both in 1995 for Best Metal Performance (“Spoonman”) and Best Hard Rock Performance (“Black Hole Sun”).
Chris Cornell Quotes: Best Quotes & Most-Famous Sayings
Their 1994 album Superunknown blasted Soundgarden into the main stream, earning them the number one spot on the Billboard 200. This album was also nominated for a 1995 Grammy Award for Best Rock Record.
Soundgarden was on tour in the US as early as April 2017.
Chris Cornell’s death has yet to be determined. Check back for more details. But while you wait, here’s a classic music video from Soundgarden:
