(Soundgarden performing at the Farm Bureau Insurance Lawn at White River State Park in Indianapolis on May 10, 2017 Photo: Cori Smyrnis)
The Detroit Police Department has revealed some of the details of Soundgarden's Chris Cornell's final moments. A police report obtained by The Detroit News reveals that Cornell went to his hotel about 15 minutes after the bands concert on Wednesday night. His bodyguard, Martin Kirsten had worked on Cornell's computer for a bit and gave him two doses of the prescription anti-anxiety medicine, Ativan.
At 11:35 he was on the phone with his wife. Then at 12:15am, concerned because he was slurring his words and sounded groggy, she called and asked Kirsten to go check on her husband.
After talking to Cornell's wife, Kirsten walked two doors down and found the room door locked. Hotel security stated they could not let him into the room because he was not registered to that room. At this time Kirsten kicked in the door and went to the bedroom door and had to kick that door open as well.
He found Cornell on the bathroom floor with blood running from his mouth and a red exercise band around his neck." Hotel medic, Dawn Jones, was on the scene by 12:56 a.m., she untied the band from around Cornell's neck and began CPR on the singer, who was not breathing.
A short time later, an EMS Unit arrived on the scene and an emergency medical technician also tried to perform CPR. By 1:30 a.m., Cornell was pronounced dead by a doctor on the scene. Homicide detectives also arrived to investigate while an officer called Vicky Cornell to report on her husband's death.
Later that day, the medical examiner pronounced his death a suicide. The family believes that if Chris took his life, he did not know what he was doing, and that drugs or other substances may have affected his actions.
Chris Cornell's attorney, Kirk Pasich, has confirmed that Chris will be laid to rest in a private ceremony this Friday, May 26th, in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. My heart, thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.
In other related news, The Pretty Reckless had been on tour with Soundgarden when the unthinkable happened. Frontwoman Taylor Momsen wrote in an Instagram post: "Still in a state of shock. I have no words right now except my heart pours out to his beautiful family and friends."
Here they are performing a tribute, a cover of Audioslave's "Like a Stone" on May 20 at a show in Camden New Jersey.