Soundgarden's Chris Cornell is dead at 52

(Image credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Chris Cornell, the lead singer of Soundgarden and Audioslave, died Wednesday night in Detroit, a representative told The Associated Press early Thursday. He was 52, and the representative, Brian Bumbery called the death "sudden and unexpected." He asked for privacy. According to Cornell's Twitter feed, Soundgarden played a show in Detroit on Wednesday night.

Cornell formed Soundgarden, one of the main groups of Seattle's grunge scene, in 1984, with guitarist Kim Thayil and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. Their 1991 album, Badmotorfinger, put them on the map, and their 1994 record, Superunknown, made them a commercial success with songs like "Black Hole Sun" and "Spoonman." The band broke up in 1997, and Cornell pursued a solo career, recorded a James Bond theme, and joined the band Audioslave. Soundgarden reunited in 2012 and recorded a sixth studio album, Animal King. Cornell was married and had three children; he and his second wife, Vicky, had a charitable foundation to help at-risk children.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.