Chris Cornell Dead At 52, Radio Reacts

Chris Cornell (Tinseltown / Shutterstock.com)

A shocker ... as CHRIS CORNELL, lead singer of SOUNDGARDEN and AUDIOSLAVE, died last night. He was just 52. YAHOO NEWS reports that a WAYNE COUNTY, MI medical examiner confirmed that CORNELL committed suicide by hanging in his DETROIT hotel room following a concert while on tour with SOUNDGARDEN.

Adds CNN, "BRIAN BUMBERY, his representative, called CORNELL's passing 'sudden and unexpected' in a statement to CNN. 'His wife VICKY and family were shocked to learn of his sudden and unexpected passing, and they will be working closely with the medical examiner to determine the cause. They would like to thank his fans for their continuous love and loyalty and ask that their privacy be respected at this time'."

THE LOS ANGELES TIMES puts CORNELL's career in perspective, writing, "With his powerful, nearly four-octave vocal range, CORNELL was one of the leading voices of the 1990s grunge movement with SOUNDGARDEN, which emerged as one of the biggest bands out of SEATTLE's music scene, joining the likes of NIRVANA, PEARL JAM and ALICE IN CHAINS. Formed in 1984 by CORNELL, guitarist KIM THAYIL and bassist HIRO YAMAMOTO, SOUNDGARDEN's third studio album, 'Badmotorfinger,' in 1991 spawned enormously popular singles “Jesus Christ Pose,” “Rusty Cage” and “Outshined” that received regular play on alternative rock radio stations.

"CORNELL also collaborated with members of what would become PEARL JAM to form TEMPLE OF THE DOG, which produced a self-titled album in 1991 in tribute to friend ANDREW WOOD, former frontman for MOTHER LOVE BONE. Three years later, SOUNDGARDEN broke through on mainstream radio with the album 'Superunknown,' which debuted at #1 on the BILLBOARD 200 and was nominated for a GRAMMY for Best Rock Record in 1995. It included hit singles 'Spoonman,' 'Fell on Black Days,' 'Black Hole Sun,' 'My Wave' and 'The Day I Tried to Live'.”

NIELSEN MUSIC reacted to the news, sharing, "last night, we learned the tragic news that dynamic vocalist and former frontman of SOUNDGARDEN and AUDIOSLAVE, CHRIS CORNELL, passed away at the age of 52. This morning, NIELSEN MUSIC is sharing some insights into Mr. CORNELL’s long and successful career in music. Across his entire catalog (includes solo albums, SOUNDGARDEN and AUDIOSLAVE), Mr. CORNELL sold 14,865,000 albums. He also sold 8,808,000 digital songs and had 300,091,000 on-demand audio streams.

Soundgarden

• Albums sold: 8,766,000 
  • Best Sellers: Superunknown (3,859,000), Badmotorfinger (1,615,000), Down on the Upside (1,606,000)
• Digital Songs sold: 3,802,000 
  • Best Sellers: Black Hole Sun (1,044,000), Spoonman (431,000), Fell on Black Days (420,000)
• On-Demand Audio Streams: 137,901,000 
  • Most Streamed: Black Hole Sun (45,406,000), Spoonman (14,923,000), Fell on Black Days (13,733,000)

Audioslave

• Albums sold: 5,297,000 
  • Best Sellers: Audioslave (3,547,000), Out of Exile (1,217,000)
• Digital Songs sold: 3,878,000 
  • Best Sellers: Like a Stone (908,000), Be Yourself (468,000)
• On-Demand Audio Streams: 130,828,000 
  • Most Streamed: Like a Stone (31,751,000), Show Me How to Live (19,644,000)

Chris Cornell

• Albums sold: 802,000
  • Best Sellers: Euphoria Morning (393,000), Out of Exile (1,217,000)
• Digital Songs sold: 1,128,000 
  • Best Sellers: You Know My Name (323,000), Billie Jean (125,000)
• On-Demand Audio Streams: 31,362,000 
  • Most Streamed: Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart (5,511,000), You Know My Name (3,461,000)

WJRR/Orlando Salutes Cornell

iHEARTMEDIA Active Rock WJRR/ORLANDO PD RICK EVERETT heard the news of the passing of CORNELL at 5:30a ET and knew he had to do something special as a tribute. He reached out to his outdoor partners and by 8a ET billboards were up all over town with this powerful message. The station also did an all request lunch tribute to CORNELL.

Elsewhere Around The Dial...

ENTERCOM Alternative KNDD (107.7 THE END)/SEATTLE PD LESLIE SCOTT told ALL ACCESS, "I’m sad and shocked. Most of the city is as well. We’re playing SOUNDGARDEN, CHRIS CORNELL, AUDIOSLAVE, TEMPLE OF THE DOG songs and EndSessions throughout the hours all day, sharing messages from listeners and fans, trying to get through it together.  It’s just awful."

ENTERCOM SEATTLE VP/Programming DAVE RICHARDS told ALL ACCESS, “Today the SEATTLE community and Rock world are crushed. We lost a local and international Rock icon. SOUNDGARDEN launched as a local SEATTLE band on KISW in the mid-'80s, and CHRIS was family ever since."

"We are playing a slice of CHRIS’ wonderful body of work each hour today complimented with various snackable audio content pieces from CHRIS’ number of station appearances over the years -– most recent stop last year before an amazing show at CHICAGO THEATRE that evening," CUMULUS Alternative WKQX/CHICAGO PD TROY HANSON reports. "On the platform front, our incredible WESTWOOD ONE evening program 2Hours w/MATT PINFIELD will host a two hour tribute to CHRIS and his musical legacy with special guest host, STABBING WESTWARD keyboard/programmer & WKQX MD/PM-drive host WALT FLAKUS."

LOCAL MEDIA Alternative XTRA-F (91X)/SAN DIEGO MD/middayer HILARY CHAMBERS reports that at noon (PT), the 91X family will gather in the studio to honor CHRIS CORNELL’s legacy and celebrate his life and the impact his music had on his fans and this radio station. "We’ll play music from all of his bands commercial-free for at least an hour, and we’ll remember him personally and by opening our airwaves to our listeners as well," she said. "At 5p we will play another hour of nothing but CHRIS CORNELL and his many projects. It’s an incredible loss for alternative music and CHRIS CORNELL fans everywhere."

JACK DANIEL, PD at iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WEND (106.5 THE END)/CHARLOTTE did a two-hour CORNELL tribute today on "JACK'S DINER" from 11a-1p (ET). He noted, "This SUNDAY (5/21), our specialty show 'ROAD SIGNS' 10p-12mid will feature another tribute.  JONATHAN, the host delves 'deep inside' the lyrical meanings on his weekly show and this week, CHRIS CORNELL’s music will be featured.

CUMULUS Alternative WAQX (95X)/SYRACUSE PD JOE D. added, "I still can’t believe he’s gone and that it was a suicide.  We’ve been playing SOUNDGARDEN all day along with interview clips and other audio. We’ve been taking calls and reading texts from listeners too thanking us for playing his music and once we found out for sure it was a suicide, we’ve been pushing that there are organizations locally that can help you.  Just a tough day all around."

ONE PUTT BROADCASTING Alternative KFRR (NEW ROCK 104.1)/FRESNO is dedicating its "'90S AT NOON" lunch feature today to all CORNELL music.

In TUCSON, ARIZONA LOTUS Alternative KFMA (ROCK 102.1) and Classic Rock KLPX OM/PD LARRY MAC noted that both stations will be heavy on SOUNDGARDEN, AUDIOSLAVE, TEMPLE OF THE DOG, and CORNELL's solo music into the weekend. ROCK 102.1's 'Revenge Of The '90s At Noon' lunchtime feature played only SOUNDGARDEN music today. Tonight it will be all CORNELL at 9p.  MAC said, "I saw SOUNDGARDEN open for GN'R on the Use Your Illusion Tour, and then saw them again a few years after. The first AUDIOSLAVE album is still one of my favorite albums of all time. Such sad, sad news."

BEASLEY Rock WDHA/MORRISTOWN, NJ MD TERRIE CARR paid tribute on her show at 12p (ET) with CORNELL music and interviews she's done with him in the past. CARR said, "Devastating news this morning. I am shocked. One of the most beautiful artists I have ever had the pleasure of spending time with.His interviews were highlights of my career. A brilliant talent and true gentleman. I'm truly speechless. Rest well CHRIS, the world will not be the same."

SUNRISE BROADCASTING Alternative WRMR (MODERN ROCK 98.7)/WILMINGTON, NC PD PAUL CANNELL shareed his feelings, "I just felt like someone kicked me in the stomach this morning. He was the last I would have thought to go so soon, and so suddenly. I still haven’t processed it yet." The station had various CORNELL features at the top of the hour. CANNELL noted, "We let listeners pick their favorite CORNELL songs and tell us their feelings during the 5p hour."

Heart Felt Loss

ANN and NANCY WILSON of HEART offered their own statement on the passing of CHRIS CORNELL:

ANN WILSON: "It's important now to keep thoughts of CHRIS positive. He is on his way. We loved him well, now wish him well on his journey. He was and is a beautiful soul."

NANCY WILSON: "No one is ever prepared to hear about a death in the family. And today CHRIS CORNELL my brother from my SEATTLE music family is gone. I thought his voice would forever grace the world of music. Devastating."

The Mix Group Salutes Chris Cornell

In honor of CHRIS CORNELL’s musical legacy, THE MIX GROUP created a one-minute 13-second audio tribute for stations to use. The complimentary audio includes clips of CORNELL’s hit songs and profound quotes pulled from various interviews.

Check it out here.

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