Chris Cornell was found dead just hours after performing at a sold-out Detroit concert, which he poignantly concluded with a song about death.
The rocker and his band Soundgarden closed the Wednesday, May 17, show at the Fox Theater with a mash-up of their hit “Slaves and Bulldozers” and Led Zeppelin’s “In My Time of Dying.”
“In my time of dying, I want nobody to mourn // All I want for you to do is take my body home,” he sang.
Detroit concert attendee and longtime fan Christen Ballew told Us Weekly that “performance-wise they sounded pretty incredible,” but Cornell “definitely seemed to be off” in-between songs.
A second Detroit concertgoer didn’t pick up on anything out of the ordinary. Cornell “seemed perfectly healthy” and “sounded amazing,” Kendelle Hood said. “At one point [Cornell] even said, ‘My next crowd’s going to be disappointing because nobody can live up to a Detroit crowd,’” Hood recalled, “which would lead me to believe he was planning on being at his next show.”
As previously reported, the Detroit PIO told Us Weekly that Cornell was found dead in the bathroom of his MGM Grand hotel room around 12:05 a.m. on Thursday, May 18. A family friend found his body after Cornell’s wife, Vicky Karayiannis, called and asked him to check on her husband. The Wayne Country Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed to Us Weekly on Thursday that his cause of death was ruled a suicide by hanging.
If you or anyone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 to be connected to a local crisis center for confidential emotional support.
