Cornell Family Disputes Suicide Ruling; Cites Drug He Was Prescribed
DETROIT (WWJ) - The family of late musician Chris Cornell, found dead in his Detroit hotel room, is refuting claims the rocker intentionally hanged himself.
The Wayne County Medical examiner later performed an autopsy and concluded Cornell's cause of death was suicide by hanging.
However, statement released by the family attorney says until toxicology tests are completed, they can't be sure what led to the singer-songwriter's death — or if any substances were involved.
According to lawyer Kirk Pasich, Cornell had a prescription for the anti-anxiety drug Ativan, which he said has various side effects.
Cornell's wife, Vicky Cornell said in a statement that when she spoke to her husband after Wednesday night's sold-out show at the Fox Theatre, he told her he may have taken "an extra Ativan or two" and was slurring his words.
According to a police report obtained by the Detroit News, Cornell's wife said her husband kept repeating, "I am just tired."
A police source talking to WWJ Newsradio 950 Thursday morning said the 52-year-old Soundgarden frontman was found in the bathroom of his room at the MGM Grand Detroit, after apparently taking his own life.
The source familiar with the investigation said Cornell went back to his room at the MGM after the concert; and, shortly after midnight, his wife called band members and asked if they would check on Cornell. A bodyguard for the band, along with MGM security, broke into the locked room and found Cornell dead with a strap around his neck.
The police report, which the Detroit News says was filed by officers from the Detroit Police Gaming Unit, Cornell was slumped on the bathroom floor, "with blood running from his mouth." The bathroom door, the report said, also had been locked from the inside, and the strap was a red exercise band.
Detroit police spokesman Micheal Woody would not confirm any of those details, but said "basic things" discovered at the scene led investigators immediately to suspect suicide.
He told WWJ on Friday that the police report was leaked to the newspaper, and that the report and 911 call would remain unreleased until the investigation is complete.
Cornell, who also fronted the supergroup Audioslave, is probably best known for his 1994 hit Black Hole Sun.
© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
