Chris Cornell

American musician

Born: July 20, 1964 · Died: May 18, 2017

Famous Persons

Who was Chris Cornell?

Christopher John Cornell (né Boyle; July 20, 1964 – May 18, 2017) was an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and primary lyricist for the rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave. Cornell was the founder and frontman of Temple of the Dog, a one-off tribute band dedicated to his late friend, musician Andrew Wood of Malfunkshun and Mother Love Bone. He also had a solo career and contributed to numerous movie soundtracks. Cornell is considered a key figure of the 1990s grunge movement with an extensive songwriting history, a nearly four-octave vocal range, and a powerful vocal belting technique. Cornell released four solo studio albums, Euphoria Morning (1999), Carry On (2007), Scream (2009), and Higher Truth (2015); the live album Songbook (2011); and two compilations, The Roads We Choose (2007) and Chris Cornell (2018), the latter released posthumously.

Historical significance

Several music journalists, fan polls, and fellow musicians have regarded Cornell as one of the greatest rock singers of all time.

Cornell performing at Quart Festival 2009 in Kristiansand, Norway

Sources and further reading

Use the dated article for the day-specific account; use these references to check the event record and explore its wider historical context.

Wikipedia source

Cite this page

MLA

“Chris Cornell.” thisDay, thisday.info/people/chris-cornell/. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

APA

Chris Cornell. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://thisday.info/people/chris-cornell/

Chicago

“Chris Cornell.” thisDay. Accessed October 19, 2026. https://thisday.info/people/chris-cornell/.

Found an error? Let us know.