Grunge singer-songwriter Chris Cornell, of Soundgarden and Audioslave fame, dies at 52Cornell, originally from Seattle, was one of the earliest musicians to embrace grunge, the style of rock that would come to the forefront in the 1990s. He was a founding member of Soundgarden when it formed in 1984, initially as drummer before switching to vocals. The band's success became incrementally more successful as grunge entered the mainstream until, in 1994, their best-known album
Superunknown was released. The band broke up in 1997, eventually reuniting in 2010.
Four years after the breakup, Cornell joined the remains of Rage Against the Machine, which renamed itself Audioslave upon his arrival. With Cornell as both lead singer and primary lyricist, Audioslave performed and recorded as a band until 2007. Cornell also performed as a solo artist throughout his career.
Cornell died suddenly while on tour with Soundgarden; no cause of death was stated. He had a history of drug and alcohol abuse.
Obituary from the Independenthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mbBbFH9fAgWikipedia