Chris Cornell

Background

Christopher John Cornell was born on July 20, 1964, in Seattle, Washington. His father, Edward Boyle, was a pharmacist, and his mother, Karen Cornell, was an accountant. After his parents’ divorce, Cornell and his five siblings took their mother’s surname. He attended a Catholic elementary school, but his mother took him and his siblings out because they were too inquisitive about religious matters. Instead, he attended Shorewood High School. As a child, Cornell had trouble feeling comfortable around people. As he grew older, he started suffering from anxiety and depression. In his early teen years, he already had access to marijuana and alcohol. Rock music became Cornell’s way of dealing with all his issues. He said his mother saved his life when she brought home a drum set. He then began taking guitar and piano lessons.

Before becoming a musician, Cornell had several jobs. He was a chef, a busboy, a dishwasher, and a fishmonger. He started his first music project in the 1980s with the cover band The Shemps. Cornell had his big breakthrough with his second band, Soundgarden. The American rock band was formed in 1984 by Cornell, Thayil, and Yamamoto — former members of The Shemps. Later, Scott Sundquist joined the band. Soundgarden had incredible success. The band split in 1997 and re-formed in 2010. In 2001, Cornell joined Tom Morello, Tim Commerford, and Brad Wilk to form Audioslave. The band’s self-titled album, released in 2002, reached the top seven on the Billboard 200. From 1999 to 2020, Cornell released six successful studio albums as a solo artist.

In 1990, Cornell got married to Susan Silver. The couple had a daughter named Lillian. However, they got divorced in 2004. The musician then married publicist Vicky Karayiannis in the same year. They had a daughter named Toni and a son named Christopher. In 2017, Cornell was found dead in a hotel room. The cause of death was determined as death from suicide.