Chris Cornell is best known as a member of the popular grunge metal band Soundgarden. He was fifty-two when he hung himself in a Detroit hotel room after consuming a cocktail of drugs. However, many people have called this into question. Was his death made to look like suicide? Are these family and fans who can not accept the sad truth, or is there something in their claims?

Who was Chris Cornell?

Cornell was born Christopher John Boyle on 29th July 1964. On the divorce of his parents, he adopted his mother’s maiden name, becoming Cornell.

From an early age, he struggled with addiction and depression. By thirteen, he was a regular drug taker, smoking cannabis and taking LSD and other drugs. At fifteen, due to these issues, he dropped out of school. However, when his mum bought him a snare drum, he commented that she saved his life. It was not long before he was performing with cover bands. Music became a way to escape his demons.

Early on, he performed in clubs with greats such as Nirvana and Alice in Chains. In 1984, he formed Soundgarden and was signed to a major label, five years later. It was not until 1994 that the band became famous. Their success was short-lived, and in 1997 they split up. Cornell continued music with a successful solo career and founded Audioslave with Rage Against the Machine members.

Soundgarden would go on to reunite in 2016 and embark on an extensive tour. However, Cornell, who had always had a history of drug addiction and depression, felt his demons return in March 2017. He emailed a colleague ‘would love to talk, had relapse.’

The Tragic Night

Soundgarden was playing in the Fox Theatre in Detroit; the concert finished at 2315. Fans would say that Cornell looked weak during the show with staggering movements. Martin Kirsten, Cornell’s bodyguard, walked him to his hotel room at the MGM Grand. Once in the room, he gave him two doses of Ativan, his prescribed anti-anxiety medication and went to his room down the hall.

Back in Los Angeles, Cornell’s wife, Vicky, noticed that the home lights kept flicking on and off. Knowing that Cornell had an application on his phone to operate this remotely, she phoned him at 2335 to see if he was okay. She reported that he was slurring his speech; she pressed him to tell her what he had taken. He admitted to taking an extra Ativan or two.

She phoned Kirsten and demanded that he went to check on her husband. Instead, Kirsten found Cornell’s door latched and informed Vicky, who called the hotel security to gain access. When security refused to help, she ordered Kirsten to kick the door down.

I went inside and the bathroom door was partially opened, and I could see his feet. — Martin Kirsten

Kirsten found Cornell with a red exercise band around his neck attached to a carabiner, which was shoved into the door frame. Paramedics attempted to revive him, but he was pronounced dead at 1330 on 18th May 2017.

The Conspiracies Start

The death was quickly ruled a suicide, but some fans went on to question this. However, police ruled out foul play on 2nd June when toxicology returned, stating that he had multiple drugs in his system.

Vicky Cornell remained adamant that her husband hadn’t been suicidal — and that the drugs had clouded his judgment. She said, “He didn’t want to die. If he was of sound mind, I know he wouldn’t have done this.” The family would later blame his doctors for the death, having prescribed him such dangerous medication with his history.

Several factors led to others questioning the suicide verdict. First, when Cornell was found, there was an extensive amount of blood around him. Pathologists state that this amount of blood at a hanging is unlikely.

Two emergency medical services reports on the night of Cornell’s death mention a gash on his head and a laceration to the back of his skull. Vicky Cornell said herself that these injuries were curiously left out of the autopsy report.

Other questions focused on Cornell’s fractured ribs — which also seemed strange to some fans in the context of a hanging. (That said, a 2014 study did find that 90 per cent of CPR patients suffered the same types of injuries.) But, perhaps most confusing is that nobody immediately removed the band around Cornell’s neck after being found unresponsive.

Murder or Suicide

Fans offered several theories as to why he was killed. One fascinating view is that he was killed because he was about to expose a child trafficking ring out of Washington DC from a pizza parlour. This was supported by the fact that before his death, he established a foundation for vulnerable children.

The factors that make this theory interesting are that pizzagate has been heard many other times after his death. Cornell is not the only celebrity whose death has been questioning as part of this cover-up. Chester Bennington from Linkin Park was said to die after he was part of The Silent Children Documentary set to expose an elite sex trafficking ring. Paul Walker from the Fast and Furious franchise has also had his death linked to the same theory.

Cornell was a deeply troubled man with a history of depression and addiction. Many of those who have suicidal thoughts hide this from their families. Many would say this is proof enough that he took his own life. However, most of us would be naive not to consider the possibility that people could be silenced for exposing these sorts of atrocities. None of us can deny that these types of trade exist; Epstein has shown us all the depravity of a proportion of the wealthy and elite.