According to his representatives, the singer has passed away at the age of 52.
In a statement to the Associated Press, his representative, Brian Bumbery, said Cornell me his “sudden and unexpected” demise in Detroit. The statement also mentioned that the family would be working closely with the medical examiner to determine the cause and asked for privacy.
Cornell was best known for playing an instrumental role in the grunge movement, forming Soundgarden alongside guitarist Kim Thyail and bassist Hiro Yamamoto in 1984. The group were best known for their Grammy Award-winning singles Black Hole Sun and Spoonman. Cornell had a four octave vocal range and continued to make music after Soundgarden broke up in 1997.
In 2001, Cornell went on to form the supergroup Audioslave, which he fronted alongside former Rage Against the Machine members Tom Morello, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk. The group rose to prominence with chart topping singles like Like a Stone and Be Yourself. He later rejoined Soundgarden when the band reformed in 2012.
Cornell also made a foray into film soundtrack composition, writing the 2006 Casino Royale theme You Know My Name.