This morning, millions of fans awoke to the sad news that Soundgarden and Audioslave singer Chris Cornell has passed away at the age of 52.
Early reports on Cornell’s cause of death indicate that the singer appears to have taken his own life.
But while the loved ones of suicide victims so often report that the warning signs were apparent in retrospect, that doesn’t appear to be the case with Cornell.
TMZ is reporting today that Cornell’s widow, Vicky Cornell, has indicated that Chris gave her no reason to believe that he was suffering from depression or in a suicidal state.
Vicky says she spoke to her husband on the phone during soundcheck before his concert in Detroit last night and again after the concert when he had returned to his hotel.
The second conversation apparently gave her cause for concern, and she called Chris back early Thursday morning, but received no response.
It was then that she contacted a family friend who lives in the Detroit area and asked him to stop by Cornell’s hotel room in order to check on the singer.
The friend knocked but received no response, prompting him to force his way through the door.
Inside the room, the unnamed friend found Cornell’s lifeless body with “a band around his neck,” according to police reports.
Insiders close to the family say Vicky felt that Chris sounded out of sorts in their second conversation of the night, but he gave her no reason to believe he was depressed or inclined toward self-harm.
According to TMZ, Vicky has told friends that Chris was an incredibly devoted father to his three children, ages 16, 12, and 11, and she never considered the possibility that he might be suicidal.
Cornell struggled with substance abuse throughout much of his adult life, but he’s reportedly been sober since checking into a rehab facility in 2003 at the age of 52.
Anonymous sources close to Cornell fear that he may have fallen off the wagon and taken his own life in an intoxicated state.
Thus far, there’s been no official from word from medical examiners investigating the case.
We’ll have further updates on this developing story as more information becomes available.
