Chris Cornell

Christopher John Cornell (né Boyle; July 20, 1964 – May 18, 2017) was an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and primary lyricist for the rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave. He also had a solo career and contributed to numerous movie soundtracks. Cornell was the founder and frontman of Temple of the Dog, a one-off tribute band dedicated to his late friend, musician Andrew Wood of Malfunkshun and Mother Love Bone. Various music journalists, fan polls, and musicians have regarded Cornell as one of the greatest rock singers of all time.

Cornell is considered a key figure of the 1990s grunge movement with an extensive songwriting history, a nearly four-octave vocal range, and a powerful vocal belting technique. Cornell released four solo studio albums, Euphoria Morning (1999), Carry On (2007), Scream (2009), and Higher Truth (2015); the live album Songbook (2011); and two compilations, The Roads We Choose (2007) and Chris Cornell (2018), the latter released posthumously. He received a Golden Globe Award nomination for his song "The Keeper", which appeared in the 2011 film Machine Gun Preacher, and co-wrote, co-produced and performed "You Know My Name", the theme song to the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale. His last solo release before his death was the charity single "The Promise", written for the ending credits for the 2016 film of the same name.

Cornell struggled with depression for most of his life. He was found dead in his Detroit hotel room in the early hours of May 18, 2017, after performing at a Soundgarden concert an hour earlier at the Fox Theatre. His death was ruled a suicide by hanging.

Cornell sold 14.8 million albums, 8.8 million digital songs, and 300 million on-demand audio streams in the U.S. alone, as well as over 30 million records worldwide. Nominated for 18 Grammy Awards, he won three. Cornell was ranked number 4 on the list of "Heavy Metal's All-Time Top 100 Vocalists" by Hit Parader, number 9 on the list of "Best Lead Singers of All Time" by Rolling Stone, number 80 on the list of the "200 Greatest Singers of All Time" by Rolling Stone, and was voted "Rock's Greatest Singer" by readers of Guitar World. In 2025, Cornell was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Soundgarden.