Today marks the five year anniversary of Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell passing away. He was 52 years old at the time of his passing.
The cause of death related to the passing of Chris Cornell was ruled as suicide. There was also a court case pertaining to Cornell’s death, where Cornell’s family sued a doctor who may have allegedly over-prescribed Cornell an anti-anxiety drug, which may have allegedly caused the Soundgarden singer to act in erratic behavior.
Cornell’s passing is still felt by many throughout the music world today; he was not only a brilliant artist, but a very kind and wonderful soul in this world. One artist who was very close to Chris Cornell was that of the late Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington.
Just a couple days after the passing of the Soundgarden singer, Linkin Park released their seventh studio album, One More Light. In promoting that album, Linkin Park performed on the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show back in 2017; the band played the title track off that album, but prior to starting, the late Linkin Park singer shared with the crowd that the song would be dedicated to their dear friend Chris Cornell.
You can find the video footage of the late Linkin Park singer dedicating their performance to the late Soundgarden singer below.
Linkin Park singer dedicated song to Chris Cornell
Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington would pass away a few months after this performance.
This performance is really heartbreaking to watch; it is a beautiful tribute, but towards the end, you can see Bennington struggle. While he is wearing glasses that cover his eyes, you get the sense that he is fighting back tears and striving to finish the song.
Artists like Chris Cornell and Chester Bennington have changed people’s lives; they have inspired us with hope, their art guiding us through dark periods in life. Their music has also brought us joy and has become associated with great moments in our lives.
To all those we’ve lost: Thank you for your art and we hope you are at peace <3
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Words by: Michael Pementel