Chris Cornell, one of the architects and leading lights of the so-called “grunge” scene that exploded out of the Pacific Northwest in the early 1990s, was found dead in a Detroit hotel room late Wednesday night, multiple outlets are reporting. The singer, who rose to fame as the front man of rock outfit Soundgarden and later had a string of hits with Audioslave, was 52 years old.

His death, described as “sudden and unexpected” in a statement released by representative Brian Bumbery, is being investigated as a possible suicide by Detroit police.

Cornell had been touring with Soundgarden and performed with his band on Wednesday night in the Motor City. The band, which reunited after a lengthy break-up in 2010, has several upcoming dates this month in the Midwest, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Insomniac browser for ticketing professionals

More details on this emerging story are available via the New York Times