Chris Cornell Dead at 52: Country Stars React
As news spread over Cornell's untimely death, many other country stars, including Brown and Aldean, took to social media to express their condolences over the loss and reflect on the influence he left on their careers.
The world is mourning the loss of rock & roll legend Chris Cornell as the singer has died at the age of 52. Fronting the bands Soundgarden and Audioslave, the singer’s Wednesday night (5/17) death comes as a shock to not only the community at large, but also his family. While there is no conclusive cause of death reported, Detroit police spokesman Michael Woody told The Associated Press on Thursday that the death is being investigated as a suicide.
The late front man may have been known for his iconic vocals in the rock world, but he was no stranger to the country music community, having collaborated with two of the genre’s biggest acts. In 2014, the rock star performed alongside Jason Aldean at the 2014 CMT Artists of the Year special, when he helped honor the country singer with a performance of his song “Just Gettin’ Started.”
Most recently, Cornell was featured on Zac Brown Band’s Jekyll + Hyde album on the song “Heavy is the Head.” The track marked ZBB’s first time on the rock charts and topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart at No.1, making the group the second band, after Bon Jovi, to have a No.1 song on both the rock chart and Country Airplay. The artists once again collaborated when Zac Brown Band appeared as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live and performed the song.
As news spread over Cornell’s untimely death, many other country stars, including Brown and Aldean, took to social media to express their condolences over the loss and reflect on the influence he left on their careers. See some of the responses below.
Chris Cornell leaves behind his wife Vicky, daughters Lillian Jean and Toni, and son Christopher. He’s best known for the songs “Black Hole Sun,” “Superunknown,” “Fell on Black Days,” “Spoonman” and “My Wave.”
