News Comment
Singer Chris Cornell died as a result of hanging himself, US officials have confirmed. Cornell, 52, was found dead after performing in a concert with his band, Soundgarden, in Detroit.
Cornell’s representative Brian Bumbery had said his death was “sudden and unexpected”.
Experiencing a chaotic life, he had drug and alcohol abuse issues during his later years with Soundgarden but had strived to overcome them. The performer said in 2007 he had been sober for five years after entering rehab in 2002. He had also spoken of periods of depression and agoraphobia.
It is always unfortunate when any person, regardless if they are a celebrity or not- choose to take actions to end their life. However there needs to be a reflection why there are so many materially successful celebrities that are so discontent with life they commit or consider suicide.
Celebrities that have commited suicide include legends in their industry like Kurt Cobain, Robin Williams and Marilyn Monroe. Celebrities that have suffered severe bouts of depression include Brad Pitt, Eminem, Nicki Minaj, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus and the list continues.
The reality is that the Capitalist system has not been able to provide happiness to people who are deemed as having everything which is material. Money has not bought happiness to people who have immense wealth in monetary terms.
The western celebrity approach of ‘sex, money and drugs’ has produced depressed, suicidal and unhappy individuals. It has brought misery to their lives, whilst ironically thousands look to them as the pinnacle of success. Happiness has not been found at the bottom of a wine bottle and overflowing bank accounts. Emptiness has overwhelmed them, because there is a vital aspect in their lives which is missing- their actual purpose in life.
Happiness and purpose cannot be found in money and wealth. When celebrities have achieved these goals, then what is their next step? Surely it needs to be much more than dollar signs, houses and cars? Unless fundamental questions are answered by people of the reason of their purpose in life, they will remain discontent in the world they live in.
Allah سبحانه وتعالى said,
وَأَنْذِرْهُمْ يَوْمَ الْحَسْرَةِ إِذْ قُضِىَ الاٌّمْرُ وَهُمْ فِى غَفْلَةٍ وَهُمْ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ
“And warn them of the Day of grief and regrets, when the case has been decided, while (now) they are in a state of carelessness, and they believe not.” {Maryam: 39}
News Article: Chris Cornell: Soundgarden star hanged himself
Singer Chris Cornell died as a result of hanging himself, US officials have confirmed.
Cornell, 52, was found dead after performing in a concert with his band, Soundgarden, in Detroit on Wednesday evening.
The Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed in a statement the frontman took his own life.
In an earlier statement, Cornell’s representative Brian Bumbery had said his death was “sudden and unexpected”.
It also said the family would be working closely with the medical examiner and asked for privacy.
A spokesperson for Detroit Police confirmed to the BBC they received a call just after midnight (05:00 BST) on Wednesday.
“He was found on the bathroom floor, our medical unit were called and he was pronounced dead on scene,” a spokesperson said.
“A family friend went to go check on him and observed him on the bathroom floor. The body was transferred to the medical examiner’s office.”
The medical examiner’s office said on Thursday: “The cause of death has been determined as hanging by suicide. A full autopsy report has not yet been completed.”
The Soundgarden show was part of a wider tour and the group had a number of live dates scheduled for later this month.
Sir Elton John led the tributes, tweeting: “Shocked and saddened by the sudden death of @chriscornell. A great singer, songwriter and the loveliest man.”
Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page added: “RIP Chris Cornell. Incredibly talented, incredibly young, incredibly missed.”
“This is a hell of a shock, he’d been gigging frequently despite having a life that was quite extreme, and he was certainly in extremely good health, performing concerts and seemingly pretty much at the top of his game,” he said.
Cornell was born on 20 July, 1964.
As a solo artist, he released four studio albums – most recently 2015’s Higher Truth.
His biggest single in the UK was 2006’s You Know My Name, which was the theme song to Casino Royale, which starred Daniel Craig.
The track made him the first male American artist to write and perform the theme song for a James Bond movie.
But he was perhaps most famous as the lead singer of Seattle band Soundgarden, which formed in 1984 and went on to release six studio albums.
Last year, the band confirmed they were returning to the studio to record new material and a tour was announced for this year.
On Wednesday evening, the Fox Theatre in Detroit tweeted pictures of the band while they were live on stage.
Cornell himself tweeted about the show on Wednesday evening, writing: “Finally back to Rock City!”
Soundgarden’s most successful album in the UK was 1994’s Superunknown, which reached number four in the chart.
In 2001, he joined rock supergroup Audioslave, which consisted of Cornell on lead vocals, together with Rage Against The Machine members Tom Morello, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk (drums).
The group released three albums – all of which reached the top 20 in the UK – but disbanded in 2007.
