Chris Cornell dead at 52: Update on death of Soundgarden, Audioslave frontman

Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell died Wednesday night at the age of 52. Cornell was in Detroit with Soundgarden for a sold-out show.

A rep for the singer and guitarist told the Associated Press that his death was "sudden and unexpected." The medical examiner ruled it a suicide by hanging.

Cornell's last tweet came Wednesday night when the musician shared a photo of the venue the band was set to play at. He captioned the image: "#Detroit finally back to Rock City!!!!"

Cornell formed Soundgarden in 1984 with bandmates Kim Thayil and Hiro Yamamoto. After the rotation of a couple of members, the group ultimately ended up consisting of Cornell, Thayil, Ben Shepherd and Matt Cameron. 

The band split in 1997, which is when Cornell went solo. In 2001, he joined Audioslave, but Soundgarden eventually reunited in 2010. Soundgarden is best known for its songs "Black Hole Sun," "Spoonman" and "Fell on Black Days."

Cornell battled alcohol and drug use throughout his career in the music industry. The singer spoke openly about it and how he had struggled to give up drugs and alcohol. 

Cornell is survived by his wife, Vicky Karayiannis, their two children and another daughter through a previous marriage.

May 18, 2017, 2:15 p.m.: This story has been updated.