Chris Cornell cause of death determined to be suicide

The Associated Press have reported that a medical examiner has now determined that Chris Cornell's cause of death was suicide by hanging.

A family friend had called 911 on Thursday after Cornell's wife Vicky Karayiannis had become concerned having being unable to reach him. Reports state that the friend had found the singer 'unresponsive' on the bathroom floor. He was staying at the MGM Grand hotel, Detroit after performing there with Soundgarden as part of their US tour that kicked off last month.

A statement issued by his representative Brian Bumbery described his passing as 'sudden and unexpected'.

The statement read, "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 last song Chris Cornell ever sang was about death as he covered Led Zeppelin's 'In My Time of Dying'. The song opens with the lyrics, 'In my time of dying, I want nobody to mourn. All I want for you to do is take my body home.' The band had performed the cover before but the tragic circumstances of last night have lent the cover more poignance.

The last tweet from Chris Cornell's account was about being back at Rock City in Detroit.

Last year during his May 2016 solo tour, Chris sat down backstage with Loz Guest in Birmingham.

They discussed Midlands rock history, the perils of interviewing Jimmy Page, how Chris planned his solo shows, his mashup of U2 and Metallica's 'One', and how he was working on new material with Soundgarden. Listen to the full interview below.

As news broke that Chris Cornell had sadly and suddenly died aged 52, fans and fellow musicians paid tribute in their droves.

Chris formed Audioslave with Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk in 2001 and they released three acclaimed studio records together. He also performed with the trio at their Prophets of Rage Anti-Inaugural Ball back in January.

A prolific and immensely gifted musician, as a solo artist Chris released four albums ‘Euphoria Morning’, ‘Carry On’, ‘Scream’, ‘Higher Truth’ and the live album ‘Songbook’.

He wrote and performed the theme song ‘You Know My Name’ to the James Bond movie Casino Royale in 2006 and also contributed the song ‘Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart’ to the Machine Gun Preacher soundtrack in 2015, ’Til the Sun Comes Back Around’ for 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi last year and ‘The Promise’ for the film of the same name this year.

Chris is survived by his second wife, publicist Vicky Karayiannis, and by three children.

RIP Chris Cornell.