#Detroit finally back to Rock City!!!! @soundgarden #nomorebullshit pic.twitter.com/BqXx9veFoD
— Chris Cornell (@chriscornell) May 18, 2017
Windsor fans who went to the Soundgarden concert Wednesday night are stunned by the news of the lead singer's death. Chris Cornell died following the show at the Fox Theater in Detroit.
Cornell's representative says the 52-year-old's death was "sudden and unexpected" and a medical examiner has since determined he killed himself by hanging in a Detroit hotel room following the concert.
Ryan Richardson attended the concert and told listeners on AM800's the Morning Drive, Cornell was very gracious as usual.
"He was so happy that people supported them through the years and went on about how the Detroit crowd was an amazing crowd," says Richardson. "They (Detroit crowd) are always reliable and want to rock and he said a lot of good things about Detroit last night."
More news about Chris Cornell as we pay tribute with his music this morning.https://t.co/iV1BDoFEna Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty News pic.twitter.com/yO7RdF3hJ1
— 89X Official Page (@TheOfficial89X) May 18, 2017
He couldn't believe the news this morning.
"I went online about 5:30 this morning because I had to be up early this morning and saw that and I thought you have got to be kidding, I just balled for about half an hour."
Richardson was 7th row centre during the two hour show. He admits he was surprised by the song the band played to end the show.
"It was kinda of a gospel blues song called 'Ain't no Grave'. He pulled some lines from that and was singing like "Jesus meet me in the air" and it was powerful, I remember thinking it was a very powerful ending to the show."
89X Morning Show host and music director Mark McKenzie also attended last night's show and says they played a lot of their older stuff which may have been a sign of things to come.
"They were playing some songs that you haven't heard in a very, very long time," says McKenzie. "Even at the end of the show — I guess looking back now you kind of think twice about it but at the time no one really thought anything of it — he said, 'Oh man, like everybody's going to wish they were at this show tonight.'"
Guess this is a collectors item now :( I'd rather still have Chris with us. What a tough day for all of us. #chriscornell pic.twitter.com/sisRwGmucb
— Mark McKenzie (@89XMorningX) May 18, 2017
McKenzie had a chance to meet him a few years ago.
"Down to earth you know — really nice guy — a little bit shy which I was kind of shocked about — Chris was a little bit shy and kind of standoffish but once you started talking to him you could tell he was the guy you would see on stage," he says.
McKenzie thinks Cornell is a shoo-in for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
"I hate to use this term but I think he is a 'rock God' and a 'rock legend' — I don't think he's ever going to be one of those artists that slowly fades away," says McKenzie.
As the lead singer for Seattle-based Soundgarden, Cornell helped architect the 90's grunge rock movement.