Soundgarden Frontman Chris Cornell Dies at 52

The singer died on Wednesday night in Detroit.

By Alex Osborn

Chris Cornell, the lead signer for Soundgarden and Audiosalve, has died. He was 52.

As reported by The New York Times, Cornell died in Detroit on Wednesday night, shortly after Soundgarden's performance at the Fox Theater. A statement was released Thursday afternoon from the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office, saying the cause of the singer's death was suicide by hanging.

Cornell performing live at Melkweg in Amsterdam, the Netherlands in 2007

According to Detroit Police Department spokesman Dontae Freeman, officers entered the MGM Grand hotel and casino after receiving a call about the alleged suicide of an unidentified man, whose date of birth match that of Cornell's. Freeman said the man's wife called a family friend to check on him and the friend forced his way into the room and found him on the bathroom floor, unresponsive with a band wrapped around his neck.

Soundgarden was scheduled to perform at the Rock on the Range festival in Columbus, Ohio on Friday, and mere hours before his death, Cornell was active on Twitter, announcing the band's arrival in Detroit.

In 2012, Cornell and his wife Vicky started Chris and Vicky Cornell Foundation, which provides support to impoverished children facing homelessness and abuse. He also performed the theme song to the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale, titled "You Know My Name."

Alex Osborn is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter and subscribe to his YouTube channel.

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