Chris Cornell, widely heralded as one of the architects of grunge music, and one of the most distinctive voices in rock music has died. He was 52.

Cornell was a founding member of the influential rock group, Soundgarden, which paved the way for Seattle grunge rock and was instrumental in shaping the scene there and beyond, along with Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Defined by acclaimed albums including 1994's Superunknown, which spawned the hits “Black Hole Sun,” “Fell on Black Days,” “Spoonman” and “My Wave" Cornell's guttural, emotive sound was immediately distinctive, and he had one of the most powerful, respected voices in rock.

Cornell released five solo albums during and after his time with Soundgarden, including his 1999 debut, Euphoria Morning. In 2007, he formed Audioslave with members of Rage Against the Machine after the group's lead singer Zack de la Rocha left, achieving another wave of success with hits including "Like A Stone."

Cornell died Wednesday night (May 17) in Detroit after a performance, of what appears to be a suicide, though that's not yet been confirmed and is still being investigated. Needless to say, the music world has been rocked by his unexpected death.

Take a look at what celebrities had to say about the sad death of one of music's most beloved talents.

 

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