Chris Cornell: Soundgarden Star Dies Of 'Hanging by Suicide'

According to US officials, Singer Chris Cornell died as a result of hanging himself.

Cornell, 52, was found dead on Wednesday after performing in a concert with his band  Soundgarden in Detroit. The Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed in an official statement the lead singer took his own life. Albeit, in an earlier statement, from the singer’s publicist said his widow, Vicky Karayiannis Cornell, and the rest of the family “were shocked to learn of his sudden and unexpected passing” and thanked fans for “their continuous love and loyalty.”

He closed the show with Soundgarden’s song Slaves and Bulldozers but, according to footage posted by fans, inserted lyrics from Led Zeppelin’s In My Time of Dying. Though, Cornell had sung the same medley before and showed no prevalent signs of being suicidal, with Soundgarden scheduled to take its tour Friday to Columbus, Ohio. The Soundgarden show was part of a wider tour and the group had a number of live dates scheduled for later this month.

"He was found on the bathroom floor, our medical unit were called and he was pronounced dead on scene," a spokesperson said.

"A family friend went to go check on him and observed him on the bathroom floor. The body was transferred to the medical examiner's office."

Legendary Elton John led the tributes, tweeting: "Shocked and saddened by the sudden death of @chriscornell. A great singer, songwriter and the loveliest man."

Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page added: "RIP Chris Cornell. Incredibly talented, incredibly young, incredibly missed."

Cornell was born on 20 July, 1964. As a solo artist, he released four studio albums - most recently 2015's Higher Truth. His biggest single in the UK was 2006's You Know My Name, which was the theme song to Casino Royale, which starred Daniel Craig. This track also made him the first male American artist to write and perform the theme song for a James Bond movie.

However, he was perhaps most popularly known as the lead singer of Seattle band  Soundgarden, which formed in 1984 and went on to release six studio albums.  Last year, the band confirmed they were returning to the studio to record new songs and following that a tour was announced for this year.

Cornell possessed one of the music world’s most wide-ranging voices; it could swing four octaves moving from a deep baritone to a screechingly high tenor with a chilling vibrato.