Chris Cornell Dead: Elton John, Jimmy Page And Billy Idol Lead Tributes To Soundgarden Frontman Following His Death, Aged 52

'An unexpected gut punch.'

Some of the biggest names in music and entertainment have been paying tribute to Chris Cornell, following his shock death at the age of 52.

A representative for the Soundgarden frontman confirmed news of the rocker’s death to the Associated Press on Thursday (18 May).

Spokesperson Brian Bumbery called the news “sudden and unexpected”, stating he died on Wednesday night in Detroit.

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Chris Cornell (1964-2017)
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin via Getty Images

Chris was in the middle of a US tour with Soundgarden, and the grunge band were due to play in Columbus, Ohio on Friday.

Just hours before his death was announced, Chris had tweeted his excitement of playing the Fox Theatre in Detroit on Wednesday night, sharing a picture on the social networking site.

Fellow musicians and fans of the star, including Elton John, Jimmy Page, Billy Idol, Nile Rodgers and Joe Perry, took to Twitter to share their sadness at his passing and to pay tribute to singer…

Chris formed Soundgarden in 1984, and the group went on to sell 22 million albums and win two Grammy awards. 

They split in 1997, and Chris went on to further success fronting the supergroup Audioslave with members of Rage Against The Machine.

Soundgarden later reunited in 2010, releasing their sixth album ‘King Animal’ in 2012. A new album was expected to be released later this year.

He is survived by his wife and their two children, Toni and Christopher Nicholas.