How did Chris Cornell die? Tragedy explored as Nirvana and more pay tribute on death anniversary

May 18, 2025, brings us the 8th anniversary of the death of Chris Cornell, the iconic singer of both Soundgarden and Audioslave. While Nirvana and other music legends around the world honor his legacy, doubts remain about what caused his death.

Chris Cornell was discovered lifeless on the bathroom floor of his hotel room at the MGM Grand in Detroit after playing a gig with Soundgarden at the Fox Theatre on May 17, 2017. He was 52 years old. His death was ruled a suicide by hanging in an official autopsy report by the Wayne County Medical Examiner.

His death stunned the music world, though those close to him said no indication pointed to him being suicidal. On the other hand, his wife, Vicky Cornell, has been outspoken in her belief that her husband would have wanted to kill himself, pointing to a disturbing phone call he made just before his death:

"I was on the phone with Chris, and he was in some sort of delirium the same night... he wasn’t right, he sounded like he was high, and he was confused. His speech was slurred. And there was just something that was extremely off," she told Gayle King on his talk show.

While his death was ruled a suicide, Cornell’s toxicology report sparked questions. According to a report by TMZ, his system contained several drugs, including Naloxone (Narcan), Butalbital (sedative), Lorazepam (Ativan), Pseudoephedrine (decongestant), and barbiturates.

Although none of them were declared as the direct cause of his death, speculations stated that the combination of drugs could have impaired his judgment.

A look into Chris Cornell's legacy as tributes pour in

Several musicians and bands have paid tribute to Cornell's 8th death anniversary, including Nirvana, who posted on their Instagram, saying:

"Remembering Chris Cornell today, who sadly left us 8 years ago today. Chris was lead singer of Soundgarden, Audioslave, Temple of The Dog and had a successful solo career."

Several social media fan pages and rock music pages came together to celebrate his legacy. American guitarist and songwriter Tom Morello also posted a picture of himself and Chris Cornell on his X and Instagram accounts and accompanied it with a caption.

"While he was a bandmate and a friend I never stopped being a huge FAN of his incredible talent and voice," Tom Morello captioned his post.

According to an article by All That's Interesting, Music was his escape, and he helped form Soundgarden in the mid-1980s. The group was at the heart of the grunge wave, along with Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Alice in Chains.

Soundgarden dissolved in 1997, but Chris Cornell continued to forge a career as a solo artist and as a member of Audioslave. He rejoined Soundgarden in 2010 and was performing with them until his demise in 2017. The Soundgarden teased a release of their new album on Cornell's death anniversary. The album was supposedly co-written by Chris Cornell:

"Its a song Chris and Matt wrote ‘The Road Less Traveled’ for our album that has yet to be named, just hearing Chris’ voice helps, i know he did that for everyone he knew," Soundgarden‘s Ben Shepherd wrote on Instagram.

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