The cause of death of Soundgarden’s frontman Chris Cornell has been confirmed as suicide by the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The Associated Press released the update in a tweet on Thursday evening, which read: “Medical examiner determines Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell killed himself by hanging in Detroit.”
A full autopsy report, including toxicology results, has not yet been completed.
The musician’s reps confirmed the 52-year-old was found dead on the bathroom floor of his hotel on Wednesday night following a concert in Detroit.
In a statement to the Associated Press, spokesperson Brian Bumbery called the news “sudden and unexpected”.
It also said the star’s family would be working closely with the medical examiner to determine the cause and asked for privacy.
A spokesperson for Detroit Police confirmed (via the BBC) that they received a call just after midnight on Wednesday.
“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 and the cause of death will be determined.”
Some of the biggest names in music and entertainment have paid tribute to the singer following the news of his death.
Elton John, Jimmy Page, Billy Idol, Nile Rodgers and Joe Perry led the tributes,taking to Twitter to share their sadness at his passing.
Elton tweeted: “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.”
Follow rocker Billy Idol said: “Sad 2 hear of Chris Cornell passing..great singer and artist... another blow…RIP”.
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.
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