require(["tmz/shortcodes/1.0.7/shortcodes"], function (shortcodes) { ...
Miley Cyrus Crushes It at Chris Cornell Tribute Show ... With "Say Hello 2 Heaven"
Showing posts with label Cornell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cornell. Show all posts
Thursday, January 17, 2019
Miley Cyrus Crushes It at Chris Cornell Tribute Show ... With "Say Hello 2 Heaven"
Friday, July 20, 2018
Chris Cornell Sculpture Completed
Here’s a first look at the life-size Chris Cornell statue that will be erected next month at Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture. Cornell’s wife, Vicky, commissioned sculptor Nick Marra in March for the project. It’s bittersweet how Vicky…
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
Vicky Cornell Speaks on Husband"s Suicide: "I Lost My Soulmate"
As we near the one-year anniversary of Chris Cornell"s suicide, the widow of this late musician has spoken out on camera for the first time since this tragedy took place.
In a sit-down with Robin Roberts for Good Morning America, Vicky Cornell opens up about the Soundgarden singer as a husband and a father, while also touching on his drug addiction.
"I know that people say, you know, you can"t blame yourself. And I"m trying not to, but there were signs," Vicky says through tears in the video below.
In the past, Vicky said her husband was not noticeably depressed at the time he took his own life.
But that doesn"t mean she isn"t aware that drug addiction is an illness with no permanent cure.
"People think that addiction is like, "Oh, you were an addict," and people don"t recognize it as a disease," Vicky explains to GMA, adding:
"I was, I feel, guilty of the same thing. You think addiction is a choice, and it"s not."
The late rock star and Vicky got married in 2004.
They share two kids (13-year-old daughter Toni and 12-year-old son Christopher), while Cornell also has a 17-year-old daughter, Lillian, from his previous marriage to Susan Silver.
Cornell was always candid about his substance abuse issues.
But Vicky wants to make it known that this doesn"t mean the artist wasn"t always there for his loved ones.
"My husband was the furthest thing from a rock star junkie. He just wasn"t," she says here.
"He was the best husband, the greatest father. I lost my soul mate and the love of my life."
According to a statement Vicky released to Entertainment Tonight following Cornell"s passing, her husband called her the evening he died and told her he "may have taken an extra Ativan or two."
Cornell had a prescription at the time for this anxiety medication.
He was staying last May at the MGM Grand in Detroit, which is where his body was eventually discovered.
And Vicky is convinced the drug in Chris" system played a key role in his suicide.
"He wanted to be there for his family, for his children. He loved his life. He would never have ever left this world," Vicky told Roberts, adding:
"I don"t think that he could make any decisions because of the level of impairment."
The full interview with Vicky will air on Good Morning America on Wednesday, February 21.
Watch an excerpt below:
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
Cornell Fraternity Accused of "Pig Roast" Sex Contest
A fraternity at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York has been placed on probation after it was discovered that it made pledges go through with something totally heinous and disgusting.
According to the Daily Sun, the school’s student newspaper, prospective member of Zeta Beta Tau were forced to take part in a fat-shaming game called “Pig Roast.”
Prepare to very possibly get ill as you read about the rules and basic description below:
– Pledges earned points from fraternity brothers for having sex with overweight women.
– The women were never told that they were part of any kind of competition.
– If there was a tie at the end, the victory was awarded to the person who had slept with the heaviest partner.
Details of this wildly inappropriate and truly despicable first leaked last year, prompting an investigation by the university’s Fraternity and Sorority Board.
The investigation concluded last month.
And, clearly, enough evidence existed that proved to the board that such a Pig Roast competition really was happening at the fraternity.
As a result, the chapter has been placed on a two-year probation, and the Ivy League university and the frat’s national office denounced the game, which was the latest example of a Greek organization behaving badly.
Moreover, the fraternity will be required to partake in at least two events during the school’s Sexual Assault Awareness Week.
It also must hire a live-in adviser for the remainder of the probation period and subject itself to external reviews.
In a statement released Saturday, the Cornell chapter of the fraternity said it was in “disbelief” over the allegations of misconduct.
That said, it didn’t deny the allegations.
“The allegations described are contrary to the values that Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity espouses and works in direct conflict with the beliefs and mission of the Kappa Chapter,” the statement said.
We guess those in charge are trying to claim they weren’t aware this gross game was being played?
Concluded the statement:
“Our chapter has worked closely with the Zeta Beta Tau International Headquarters to draft and execute an action plan that addresses this alleged behavior.”
Meanwhile, Ryan Lombardi, Cornell’s vice president for student and campus life, referred to the game “abhorrent,” per the Daily Sun.
“Behavior that degrades and dehumanizes women contributes to a climate and culture of tolerance for sexual violence,” he said.
We agree.
We strongly agree.
Friday, August 4, 2017
Toni Cornell Honors Father, Brings GMA Viewers to Tears
Good Morning America featured a very special performance on Friday.
About three months after Chris Cornell killed himself, the late singer"s 12-year old daughter appeared on the ABC program and teamed with OneRepublic"s Ryan Tedder for a moving rendition of the classic ballad "Hallelujah."
The track was also performed as a tribute to Chester Bennington, a good friend of Cornell"s who tragically also killed himself via hanging out this summer.
Linkin Park was scheduled to perform on the show, but OneRepublic filled in after the band canceled their tour and concert dates in the wake its frontman"s death.
"This is just an honor to be here," Tedder told GMA"s Lara Spencer, noting how he had met Bennington a few times and was good friends with Cornell.
"I was lucky enough to write and produce with [Cornell], and get to know him and his family over the years. He was even in one of our videos."
Cornell"s little girl also spoke ahead of her and OneRepublic"s song dedication, telling GMA:
"It"s an honor to perform this for my dad and for Chester and to sing for them."
"Hallelujah" was the single that Bennington performed at Cornell"s funeral in May, just a few weeks before Bennington was found dead of his own suicide at the age of 41.
He committed the sad act on what would have been Cornell"s 53rd birthday.
Members of the sizable GMA crowd started to shed tears this morning as Toni belted out the lyrics of this sad track in a somber tone, one very similar to her father’s.
A month after Cornell’s death, Toni and her 17-year sister, Lillian Jean, penned letters to the late Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman in observance of Father’s Day.
“Let me start by saying how much I love you and how much you mean to me,” Toni wrote alongside a photo collage of herself with Cornell through the years, adding:
“You are my idol, someone I’ve always looked up to. You were always there for me. You pushed me forward every day, and you still do.”
Sad stuff all around.
Watch Toni"s emotional performance below:
Saturday, July 22, 2017
Chester Bennington Could Get Open Plot Beside Chris Cornell at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington might get an eternal resting spot right next to his dear friend, Chris Cornell. TMZ has learned the burial plot beside Cornell at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery is available … and a source at the cemetery tells us…
Friday, July 21, 2017
Chester Bennington Suicide: Did He Mimic Chris Cornell?
A few new details have emerged when it comes to Chester Bennington’s suicide.
As previously and tragically reported, the 41-year old Linkin Park singer killed himself on Thursday morning.
His body was discovered at his home in California around 9 a.m., with authorities determining Bennington died via hanging.
Famous for such hits as “Crawling,” “One Step Closer,” and “In the End,” Bennington and his Linkin Park bandmates put out one of the most popular albums in alternative rock history with “Meteora” in 2003.
The group won two Grammy Awards and sold over 70 million albums during its run.
But no amount of success could help Bennington overcome his demons.
He talked in the past about a drug addiction and depression that was linked to sexual abuse he suffered as a child.
It’s unknown at the moment whether any drugs were in Bennington’s system at the time of his death; nor can we know for sure what was on his mind when he made this fateful decision.
However, TMZ has provided a few tidbits about Bennington’s suicide that have left and wondering whether he was trying to mimic the suicide of close friend Chris Cornell.
(The Soundgarden frontman also killed himself this year; in May; at the age of 52.)
For example, Bennington’s corpse was discovered hanging from a door separating his bedroom from his closet.
As THG and other outlets reported a couple months ago, Cornell died in a Detroit hotel room… with his body hanging from a hotel door that separated the bedroom from the bathroom.
Bennington tied a belt around his neck, while Cornell used an exercise band to complete his final act.
Neither artist left a suicide note.
Insiders also tell TMZ that an empty bottle of alcohol was in the room where Bennington died, but there was no evidence of drug use.
Finally, and perhaps most tellingly, Bennington killed himself on what would have been Cornell’s 53rd birthday.
Again, we can’t possibly know what was going through Bennington’s mind when he chose to take his own life.
That’s one of the most scarring and disturbing things about suicide.
But he and Cornell were very close, with Bennington even singing at his late pal’s funeral this spring.
After Cornell was found dead, Bennington wrote the following letter to his friend:
I dreamt about the Beatles last night. I woke up with Rocky Raccoon playing in my head and a concerned look my wife’s face. She told me my friend had just passed away.
Thoughts of you flooded my mind and I wept.
I’m still weeping, with sadness, as well as gratitude for having shared some very special moments with you and your beautiful family. You have inspired me in many ways you could never have known.
Your talent was pure and unrivalled. your voice was joy and pain, anger and forgiveness, love and heartache all wrapped up into one. I suppose that’s what we all are. You helped me understand that.
I just watched a video oof you singing “A Day In The Life” by the Beatles and thought of my dream. I’d like to think you were saying goodbye in your own way. I can’t imagine a world without you in it.
I pray you find peace in the next life. I send my love to your wife and children, friends and family.
We hope both these talented musicians have found the peace in heaven that they could not find on Earth.
May they rest in peace.
Linkin Park Singer Chester Bennington Hanging Almost Identical to Chris Cornell Suicide
Chester Bennington may have mimicked the suicide of his close friend, Chris Cornell, because they died in virtually identical ways. Law enforcement sources tell us, the Linkin Park singer was found hanging from a door separating his bedroom from his…
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
Chris Cornell: Final Investigation Details Released, Foul Play Ruled Out
On May 18, the world awakened to the sad news that iconic Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell had passed away unexpectedly after performing at a concert in Detroit.
At first conflicting reports emerged regarding Cornell’s cause of death, but eventually police and medical investigators were able to arrive at a conclusion about the singer’s final hours.
To the utter shock of his friends, family, and fans, Chris Cornell had taken his own life.
The full results of the investigation, published today by The Detroit Free Press, paint a harrowing scene of a frantic wife enlisting the aid of a bodyguard to try and save her husband’s life from several hundred miles away.
Vicky Karayiannis told police that her final conversation with her distraught husband led her to the conclusion that Cornell had fallen off the wagon after several years of sobriety.
Fearing the worst, she called his bodyguard from her home in Los Angeles, and asked him to check on Cornell, explaining that the 52-year-old did not sound like he was okay.”
Martin Kirsten forcibly entered Cornell’s hotel room, only to find that he was too late.
The singer had hung himself with the aid of a mountain climbing clip and an exercise band.
“I went inside and the bathroom door was partially opened, and I could see his feet,” Kirsten told police in a sworn statement published for the first time today.
The investigation answers two lingering questions regarding Cornell’s final moments – namely, was he intoxicated, and was foul play involved?
According to today’s report, Cornell did have several prescription drugs in his system at the time of his death, which may have contributed to his decision to take his own life.
As for foul play, investigators have concluded that there is no reason to believe any second parties were involved in Cornell’s passing.
Rumors that circulated on social media this week, seem to have been the result of photos from the scene of Cornell’s death that were recently published by TMZ.
The images showed blood on the floor of the bathroom where he hanged himself, which many amateur sleuths took as a sign of a struggle.
However, medical experts say it is not uncommon for hanging victims to bleed from their nose and mouth.
Hopefully, the new information published today will help provide a modicum of closure to the many who are still grieving the loss of one of the music world’s great talents.
Chris Cornell, Blood in Suicide Photos NOT Evidence of Foul Play
The smeared blood found on the floor of Chris Cornell’s hotel bathroom does not indicate foul play as some have suggested … TMZ has learned. After photos of Chris’ suicide scene were released Tuesday, people speculated foul play was involved…
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
Chris Cornell 911 Call, Guest "Attempting to Hang Himself"
First responders to Chris Cornell’s Detroit hotel room were delayed in their efforts to save him because they had to get him down from the door he used to hang himself … according to the 911 call. On the just-released call you can hear an…
Friday, June 2, 2017
Chris Cornell: Toxicology Report Reveals Singer"s Cause of Death
It’s been two weeks since the music world was stunned by the sudden death of Chris Cornell, the pioneering singer/songwriter whose inimitable vocal stylings helped Soundgarden and Audioslave rise to the top of the charts.
Just hours after his body was found, medical examiners in Wayne County, Michigan ruled Cornell’s death a suicide.
Cornell’s widow, Vicky Karayiannis, and others close to the musician expressed doubts about the coroner’s findings.
Karayiannis maintained that drugs played a role in Cornell’s death, a theory that shocked fans, as the singer had been sober for nearly 15 years prior to hsi passing.
Nevertheless, Karyiannis issued a statement expressing her belief that the results of a pending toxicology report would corroborate her beliefs.
Today, TMZ obtained the results of that report, and it seems that Karayiannis was correct in her assertion that Cornell was under the influence at the time of his passing.
The coroner who examined Cornell’s body confirmed that the following drugs were found in his system:
Naloxone (Narcan), Butalbital (sedative), Lorazepam (Ativan), Pseudoephedrine (decongestant), and unspecified barbiturates.
Witnesses claimed to have seen puncture marks on Cornell’s arms, but it appears those were the result of Narcan injections made by paramedics in an effort to save the 52-year-old’s life.
Shortly after her husband’s death, Karayiannis stated that she knew Cornell was intoxicated just from speaking with him on the phone.
She asked the singer’s bodyguard, who was staying in the same Detroit hotel, to check on Cornell, but tragically, it was too late.
An apparently drug-addled Cornell had hung himself in his room with an exercise belt.
Karayiannis issued the following statement in response to today’s findings:
“Many of us who know Chris well, noticed that he wasn’t himself during his final hours and that something was very off. We have learned from this report that several substances were found in his system.
“After so many years of sobriety, this moment of terrible judgment seems to have completely impaired and altered his state of mind.
“Something clearly went terribly wrong and my children and I are heartbroken and are devastated that this moment can never be taken back.”
She concluded:
“We very much appreciate all of the love we have received during this extremely difficult time and are dedicated to helping others in preventing this type of tragedy.”
Our thoughts go out to Cornell’s widow and children during this tremendously difficult time.
Friday, May 26, 2017
Chris Cornell Burial Service Draws Hundreds of Celeb Friends and Fans (PHOTOS)
Chris Cornell’s family, bandmates and famous friends gathered by the dozens to pay their respects as his ashes are laid in his final resting place … the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Brad Pitt, Pharrell, Dave Grohl, Lisa Marie Presley, Dave Navarro,…
TMZ Live: Chris Cornell: Details of His Final Moments
HERE’S THE RUNDOWN Scott Disick Parties Too Hard for Bella Thorne Barack Obama Unabashedly Enjoys Vacation ‘How I Met Your Mother’ Star’s Neighborhood Battle Lil Yachty: Mobbed on the Street!
Chris Cornell: Final Conversation with Wife Revealed, Chilling
A day after penning an open letter to her late husband, the wife of Chris Cornell has spoken in detail about the final conversation she had with the rocker.
And she has revealed a number of chilling details in the process.
On Wednesday, Cornell’s wife Vicky released a lengthy message to the late singer, who hanged himself in a Detroit hotel room earlier this month.
“We had the time of our lives in the last decade and I’m sorry, my sweet love, that I did not see what happened to you that night,” she wrote in a letter posted to Billboard.com, adding:
“I’m sorry you were alone, and I know that was not you, my sweet Christopher.
“Your children know that too, so you can rest in peace.”
Cornell had two kids with Vicky and a third child from a previous relationship.
Meanwhile, on Thursday night, TMZ published excerpts from Vicky’s final conversation with Cornell, which the website reports took place by phone about a half hour before Cornell ended his own life.
According to friends, Vicky says Cornell started slurring his words as he expressed anger over the set he had just played in Detroit.
“They f-cked up again. They had 3 days to fix my in-ears and I was getting static. I couldn’t hear,” the artist complained to Vicky, adding over and over that “I blew my voice. I blew my voice.”
Cornell then changed the topic abruptly, making very little sense to his wife.
She could sense something was seriously wrong.
“I need to know what you took tonight,” Vicky asked, well aware of Cornell’s history of drug abuse. You don’t sound right, sweetheart.”
Replied the singer: “I was really angry and I just took 2 Ativan. I’m really pissed and I had to calm myself down.”
But Vicky pressed for more information. She said it didn’t sound like Cornell merely took Ativan.
She also made a point ahead of time of saying “I forgive you” for falling off the wagon.
TMZ writes that Cornell grew “cocky and aggressive,” which prompted Vicky to flash back to 14 years ago when he almost died from an Oxycontin overdose.
After Cornell continued to ramble incoherently, Vicky called the star’s bodyguard and demanded he go check on Cornell.
The bodyguard eventually knocked down two doors to get inside Cornell’s hotel room… and that was when he saw the singer’s body hanging in the bathroom.
In a disturbing new detail only just revealed now, Vicky was apparently still on the phone with the bodyguard when this horrible discovery took place.
“I’m broken, but I will stand up for you and I will take care of our beautiful babies. I will think of you every minute of every day and I will fight for you,” Vicky wrote in her aforementioned open letter, concluding as follows:
You were right when you said we are soulmates. It has been said that paths that have crossed will cross again, and I know that you will come find me, and I will be here waiting.
I love you more than anyone has ever loved anyone in the history of loving and more than anyone ever will. Always and forever, your Vicky.
Insiders had connected with the investigation previously told TMZ that emergency technicians who responded to the scene saw fresh track marks on Cornell’s arm.
Vicky has said he wasn’t known to have used needles in his earlier substance abuse battles and she had just been walking with him the day before.
She says he was in short sleeves and there were no signs at that time of track marks on his arms.
It’s all very sad.
We continue to send our condolences to the loved ones of Chris Cornell and we hope he’s resting in peace at last.
Thursday, May 25, 2017
Chris Cornell Had Fresh Track Marks on Arm at Suicide Scene
Chris Cornell had apparently taken more than Ativan before hanging himself, because we’ve learned he had fresh track marks on his arm when his body was discovered in a Detroit hotel room. Sources connected to the investigation tell us … the track…
Chris Cornell Funeral: Wife Pens Heartbreaking Letter Prior to Farewell
Prior to laying her husband to eternal rest, Chris Cornell’s wife wrote a public letter to her husband on Wednesday that was published by Billboard.com
We’ve shared it below.
But be warned: it will almost definitely make you cry.
One week after the former Soundgarden and Audioslave singer killed himself following a show in Detroit, Vicky Cornell addressed the artist directly on a moving message.
“To my sweet Christopher, you were the best father, husband and son-in-law,” she wrote, adding:
“Your patience, empathy and love always showed through. You had always said I saved you, that you wouldn’t be alive if it were not for me.
“My heart gleamed to see you happy, living and motivated. Excited for life. Doing everything you could to give back.
“We had the time of our lives in the last decade and I’m sorry, my sweet love, that I did not see what happened to you that night. I’m sorry you were alone, and I know that was not you, my sweet Christopher.
“Your children know that too, so you can rest in peace.”
Cornell battled a substance abuse problem for years prior to passing away.
A friend recently came out and said the star was high during his final performance.
As is the case with any suicide, we’ll likely never have all the answers to every question, but Vicky is determined to keep a positive memory of her husband.
She concluded her open letter as follows:
I’m broken, but I will stand up for you and I will take care of our beautiful babies. I will think of you every minute of every day and I will fight for you.
You were right when you said we are soulmates. It has been said that paths that have crossed will cross again, and I know that you will come find me, and I will be here waiting.
I love you more than anyone has ever loved anyone in the history of loving and more than anyone ever will. Always and forever, your Vicky.
Cornell’s death has officially been ruled a suicide by hanging.
He was cremated in Los Angeles on Tuesday, May 22 and he will be laid to rest in a private ceremony at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery on Friday, May 26.
The singer’s body was found in a hotel bathroom by a family friend after Vicky had not heard from him in hours.
She grew concerned and asked this acquaintance to try and track Cornell down.
The couple has two kids together and Vicky told TMZ the day after this tragedy that she saw no signs in the weeks preceding it that Cornell was in such a bad place.
Cornell had checked into a rehab facility in 2013 and Vicky said last week she believed her husband remained clean ever since.
Vicky thinks that prescription drugs may have played a part in her husband’s death.
In a previous statement, the grieving mother wrote that Cornell would never intentionally hurt his family by taking his own life.
“I noticed he was slurring his words; he was different. When he told me he may have taken an extra Ativan or two, I contacted security and asked that they check on him,” Vicky said at the time.
“What happened is inexplicable and I am hopeful that further medical reports will provide additional details.”
The couple got married in 2004 and are the parents of daughter Toni, 12, and son Christopher, 11.
Cornell is also father to 16-year-old daughter Lillian from a previous marriage.
May he rest in peace.
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Chris Cornell: On Drugs During Final Performance, Friend Claims
As you’ve likely heard by now, Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell was found dead last week in a Detroit hotel room.
Wayne County medical examiners reported Cornell’s cause of death as a suicide, but members of the singer’s family believe there’s more to the story.
The late grunge icon’s widow, Vicky Karayiannis, says that Cornell was not depressed and demonstrated no tendency toward self-harm at any point in his last hours or in the entirety of their time together.
She admits, however, that she was so concerned for his safety in the hours leading up to his suicide that she requested a late night well-being check from one of Cornell’s bodyguards.
The guard forced his way into the room after Cornell failed to respond to his knocks at the door, and it was there that he found the rock legend strangled to death with elastic band used for exercise and a mountain climber’s clip.
The reason for Karayiannis’ concern, she says, was not due to the content of Chris’ final words to her over the phone, but rather the manner in which those words were spoken.
“Chris was slurring his words,” Vicky said in a statement issued the day after Cornell’s passing.
Cornell had struggled with substance abuse throughout much of his adult life, but he had been sober since checking into a rehab facility in 2002 at the age of 38.
During their phone conversation, Vicky says, Cornell revealed that he “may have taken an extra Ativan or two.”
Ativan is an anxiety-reducing drug for which Cornell had a prescription.
Because his bodyguard administered the pills, it seems unlikely that Cornell would have had access to enough of the medication to trigger such a severe adverse reaction.
As a result, many feel that there may have been harder drugs involved in Cornell’s death.
Now, Tim Keedick, a longtime friend of Cornell’s who had worked as the singer’s sound engineer for several years, is revealing that Cornell’s inebriated state was apparent throughout his final concert.
Keedick tells TMZ that Cornell was, without a doubt, “high” and “f–ked up” during his last performance.
“Chris was out of character from note 1 of the show. I’ve never heard or seen him that way before, at least if we did not cancel a show,” the sound engineer says.
According to Keedick, Cornell, who was revered for his tremendous vocal range throughout his career, had difficulty hitting certain notes and seemed to struggle with breath control.
“I’d never heard his voice that way before. He was having serious control problems,” Keedick says.
Check out a clip from Cornell’s final performance above, and decide for yourself if the singer seems out of sorts.
It’s tough to tell, as a bad day for Chris Cornell is still a better day than the majority of rock vocalists will ever experience.
Fortunately, if post-mortem sales are any indication, Cornell’s legacy as a tremendous talent will live on for generations to come.
Chris Cornell Was "High" and "F***ed Up" During Last Performance (VIDEO)
Chris Cornell was messed up during his Detroit concert … hours before he committed suicide — this according to a longtime confidant who was present and working the event. Ted Keedick, who worked with Chris for the last decade as his house…
Chris Cornell Cremated, Service Will Be Private But Fans Can Still Pay Respects (VIDEO)
Chris Cornell was cremated Tuesday as a small group of family and friends stood by, but the rock icon’s legion of fans will also get a chance to memorialize him … TMZ has learned. Sources connected to the ceremony … tell us 4 people were at…
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)