Music
Chris Cornell
1964–2017 · singer, guitarist, songwriter
Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman who played his final concert at Detroit's Fox Theatre and died in the city hours later, in May 2017.
- Born
Seattle, Washington- Died
Detroit, Michigan
aged 52- Birth name
- Christopher John Boyle
- Detroit years
- 2017
- Field
- Music
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Cornell's Detroit connection is his last night. On May 17, 2017, Soundgarden played the Fox Theatre on Woodward Avenue, closing the set with "Slaves & Bulldozers" and a passage from Led Zeppelin's "In My Time of Dying." Early the next morning he was found dead in his room at the MGM Grand Detroit, a few blocks away; the Wayne County medical examiner ruled the death a suicide. Detroit police later released their full report, and his widow told The Detroit News she was dissatisfied with the autopsy. On May 23, Norah Jones played a solo piano version of "Black Hole Sun" at the Fox in his memory. Cornell was a key voice of 1990s grunge, known for a nearly four-octave range, and also wrote and sang the James Bond theme "You Know My Name."
Highlights
- Lead singer of Soundgarden and Audioslave, founder of Temple of the Dog
- Co-wrote and sang the Bond theme "You Know My Name" (2006)
- Final concert: Fox Theatre, Detroit, May 17, 2017
- Golden Globe nomination for "The Keeper" (2011)
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 2
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Performed here · 2017
Fox Theatre
The 1928 movie palace where Soundgarden played Cornell's final concert on May 17, 2017.
Related place · 2017
MGM Grand Detroit Event Center
The downtown casino hotel where he stayed after the show and where he died on May 18, 2017.