Chris Cornell, Singer of Soundgarden and Audioslave, Dead at 52

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.

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