Chris Cornell, Soundgarden frontman, dies at 52

Chris Cornell, the lead singer of Soundgarden and Audioslave, died on Wednesday evening in Detroit, Michigan, at age 52. His agent Brian Bumbery described the death as 'sudden and unexpected' to the Associated Press. Cornell was in Detroit touring with Soundgarden, the band that brought him fame in the 1990s grunge scene. The cause of death remains unknown; his family is working with the medical examiner and requesting privacy. Cornell founded Soundgarden in 1984 with Kim Thayil and Hiro Yamamoto. The band was among the first signed to Sub Pop, later home to Nirvana and Mudhoney. Their 1994 album Superunknown won Grammys for singles 'Black Hole Sun' and 'Spoonman'. Soundgarden disbanded in 1997 but reunited in 2010. From 2001 to 2007, Cornell formed Audioslave with Tom Morello, Tim Commerford, and Brad Wilk of Rage Against the Machine. He also had a solo career and wrote the theme for the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale. His last public appearance was a month ago in New York at a premiere of the film The Promise, for which he recorded the title track. The future of Soundgarden, which had a major reunion show at Seattle's Showbox in April 2010, is now uncertain.