Chris Cornell Cause Of Death: Soundgarden, Audioslave Vocalist Dies At 52

Chris Cornell, the lead vocalist of Soundgarden and Audioslave died Thursday aged 52, his representative has confirmed.

Hours before his death, Cornell was performing with Soundgarden at Detroit’s Fox theater.

Shocked by his tragic and sudden death, his family has requested for privacy while they work with a medical examiner to inspect the cause of the singer’s death. “They would like to thank fans for their continuous love and loyalty and ask that their privacy is respected at this time,” read a statement issued on behalf of Cornell's family, reported news.com.

Soon after #ChrisCornell started trending on Twitter. His fans took to social media to express their grief, followed by various theories about what could have possibly led to Cornell’s death. Some of his fans said the rock legend had committed suicide.

Cornell’s wife called one of his friends and asked them to check on him at his MGM, Grand Detroit hotel room. When his friend forced his way into the room, he found Cornell lying dead in the bathroom, a report suggested. The philanthropic rocker was pronounced dead at the scene. However, the investigations are still underway and the exact cause of Cornell's death remains a mystery.

“Police now say the death of Chris Cornell appears to have been a suicide. Investigation still going on,” Matthew Smith, a reporter from WXYZ 7 Action News, tweeted.

Born and brought up in Seattle, Washington, the “Black Hole Sun” singer was a pioneer of the 1990’s grunge movement as a part of Soundgarden. He released four studio albums as a solo artist, reported BBC.

Renowned for singing “You Know My Name”, the theme song for James Bond’s movie Casino Royale, Cornell was a Golden Globe nominated singer and songwriter. Cornell was the first male American artist to write, perform for a James Bond movie.

Soundgarden has sold more than 10 million albums in the U.S. alone. It has also won two Grammy awards and has been nominated nine times, reported News.com.

Cornell was scheduled to perform at the U.S. festival Rock the Range in Columbus tonight.

Cornell’s death flooded Twitter with scores of people expressing sadness. “Very sad news about Chris Cornell today. A sad loss of a great talent to the world, his friends and family. Rest In Peace,” Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry tweeted.

“SO SO stunned to hear about Chris Cornell! Such a terrible and sad loss! Thinking of his family tonight! RIP,” musician Dave Navvaro wrote on Twitter.

Television host Carson Daly expressed: “I’m so shocked to wake up and hear about the sudden passing of Chris Cornell. A quintessential voice of a generation. Praying for his family.”

“Shocked and saddened by the sudden death of Chris Cornell. A great singer, songwriter and the loveliest man,” tweeted Elton John.

Apart from music, Cornell was also involved in philanthropy. He also started the Chris and Vicky Cornell foundation to support homeless children and those facing challenges like poverty and abuse, reported WXYZ Detroit.