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Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell dead aged 52

Kerrie O'Brien

The lead singer of Soundgarden and Audioslave Chris Cornell has died in Detroit aged 52.

Soundgarden formed in 1984, released five studio albums over a decade, broke up in 1997, then reformed and toured 14 years later.

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Video surfaces of Chris Cornell's last performance

Audioslave and Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell died on Wednesday night in Detroit. He was 52.

Cornell kept busy during Soundgarden's long break, spending six years in Audioslave and furthering his solo career both recording and touring.

Cornell had been performing and tweeting in Detroit just hours before his death.

A Detroit police spokesman said officers were called to Cornell's hotel around midnight by a friend of the musician. The Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office said later on Thursday that the cause of death was suicide.

In 1991, as the influence of Seattle bands exploded on the international stage with the release of Nirvana's Nevermind, Soundgarden unleashed Badmotorfinger.

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It helped establish Soundgarden as one of the most exciting and toughest live bands to emerge in years. In 1994 Superunknown, including the singles Spoonman, Black Hole Sun and My Wave, became the band's most successful album commercially and like Badmotorfinger, it was nominated for a Grammy.

In between those heady days in the Seattle melting pot of rock and the final show before breaking up in 1997, Soundgarden crossed the globe playing to packed stadiums and festivals, earning widespread critical acclaim.

They played Australia's Big Day Out three times, most recently in 2012.

Speaking to Fairfax that year, Cornell said outdoor shows had been something the band grew to appreciate more and more over the years. He had fond memories of playing in Sydney, too.

"Playing the Sydney Opera House [in 2011] was definitely a huge, huge moment in my life, everything about it is amazing . . . just walking to the dressing room is great."

Tributes to the singer/songwriter, famous for his near four octave vocal range, are pouring in to social media to mourn his death.

Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page led tributes on Thursday to Cornell, calling him "Incredibly Talented, Incredibly Young, Incredibly Missed."

Kiss singer Paul Stanley tweeted he was "Stunned to hear the death of Chris Cornell," while Aerosmith's Joe Perry called his passing "a sad loss of a great talent to the world."

 

Goodbye darling boy . Please say hi to all my loved ones . I cried for you today . Rip .

A post shared by Courtney Love Cobain (@courtneylove) on

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-with Reuters

Originally published on The Sydney Morning Herald as Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell dead aged 52 .