Ifølge Cornells kone virkede han usammenhængende kort efter sin sidste optræden med Soundgarden
Onsdag aften, den 17 maj, fandt man Soundgarden- og Audioslavefrontmand Chris Cornell død på sit hotelværelse i Detroit. I går fastslog retsmedicineren, at der var tale om selvmord, idet man havde fundet Cornell med et reb om halsen på badeværelset. Idag har Cornells familie dog taget til genmæle via deres advokat, da de sætter spørgsmåltegn ved konklusionen om, at han har taget sit eget liv, skriver Pitchfork.
"Familien tror, at hvis Chris tog sit eget liv, så vidste han ikke ikke, hvad han gjorde, og medicin eller andet kan have haft indflydelse på hans handlinger", skulle der eftersigende have stået i udtalelsen. "Uden konkrete resultater fra retmedicinsk ved vi ikke, hvad der er sket med Chris – eller om noget andet kan have bidraget til hans bortgang.
Familien nævner, at Cornell kan have taget det receptpligtige lægemiddel Ativan i større mængder end anbefalet. Medicinen bruges ofte til patienter, der har været i behandling for alkohol- eller stofmisbrug, og lider af angst – men kan have en modsatvirkende effekt, hvis den anbefalede dosis overskrides. Ativan kan i følge medicinske studier foresage paranoia, selvmordstanker, usammenhængende tale og svækket dømmetkraft.
Chris Cornells kone siger envidere, at han havde virket usammenhængende da de talte sammen på dødsfaftenen:
"Chris's death is a loss that escapes words and has created an emptiness in my heart that will never be filled. As everyone who knew him commented, Chris was a devoted father and husband. He was my best friend. His world revolved around his family first and of course, his music, second. He flew home for Mother's Day to spend time with our family. He flew out mid-day Wednesday, the day of the show, after spending time with the children. When we spoke before the show, we discussed plans for a vacation over Memorial Day and other things we wanted to do. When we spoke after the show, I noticed he was slurring his words; he was different. When he told me he may have taken an extra Ativan or two, I contacted security and asked that they check on him. What happened is inexplicable and I am hopeful that further medical reports will provide additional details. I know that he loved our children and he would not hurt them by intentionally taking his own life.
The outpouring of love and support from his fans, friends and family means so much more to us than anyone can know. Thank you for that, and for understanding how difficult this is for us."
