Chris Cornell Death: Friends Shocked As Singer Was In ‘Great Spirits’ Before His Suicide

Chris Cornell’s death, which was later ruled out as a suicide, came as a complete shock to his fans and friends. An insider has now revealed that the Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman was in “great spirits” when his closest pals last saw him.

A close friend revealed that none of them saw his suicide coming as he appeared to be his normal self during the days leading up to his demise. “Chris seemed in really great spirits and everyone is in complete shock,” a friend of the singer and wife Vicky Karayiannis said, People reported.

On Wednesday, May 17, Cornell, 52, graced the stage in Detroit for a performance, where he appeared to act as he normally would and even greeted his fans outside the venue. One fan captured a short video of his performance and shared it on Instagram. “Chris Cornell needed to rest his war torn vocal cords, pretty powerful, they still have it, he’s still got it. #soundgardenatthefox #soundgarden #chriscornell,” the fan wrote in the caption.

READ: Celebrities react to Chris Cornell’s death

It seems Cornell did his best to give fans a memorable performance, so no one would expect that he would commit suicide once he went back to his hotel room. But little did fans know that just hours after his concert wrapped up, he would be found dead in his room on Thursday.

Aside from his fans and friends, his wife and family were all shocked by his death as well. Cornell’s representative, Brian Bumbery, described his passing as “sudden and unexpected.” In a statement, the family asked for privacy as they mourned the singer’s death, The Telegraph reported.

The details provided about Cornell’s death have been limited, but according to police spokesman Michael Woody, his passing was investigated as a possible suicide. Woody told the Associated Press on Thursday that Cornell’s wife called a family friend to check on the singer. Cornell had been staying at the MGM Grand Detroit hotel after his concert. At the time, his room had been locked, so the friend forced the door open and found Cornell on the bathroom floor.

“When the units arrived they were met by a gentleman who indicated that Chris Cornell had been found in his room,” said Woody. “When officers went to the room they found Chris Cornell laying in his bathroom, unresponsive and he had passed away. We are investigating it as a possible suicide, but we need to wait on the medical examiner to determine the cause and manner of death.”

“The cause of death has been determined as hanging by suicide. A full autopsy report has not yet been completed,” said the medical examiner’s office in a statement after conducting the initial autopsy.

After news of Cornell’s passing broke, a number of his followers left flowers at a memorial in Seattle for the musician, who made great contributions to the city’s rock history. Hundreds of fans even gathered at the Sound Garden art sculpture at a Seattle park, which inspired the name of his band Soundgarden. “Say ‘hello’ to Heaven,” read a note attached in one of the flower arrangements left in his memorial. The short statement is a reference to a song that Cornell once wrote for a musician friend who died decades ago.

“It’s really sad that he could never find peace in his life,” said Chad White, who visited the art display with his young son, Ignatius, to give a tribute to Cornell.

Cornell will surely be missed by his loved ones because he was a family man. “He was an incredible family man,” one insider said. “He loved all of his children. In the last month, he had just completed a tour for The Promise — he brought his daughter and wife with him…He was an incredible human, an incredible father.”

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