By Hayden Wright
It’s been more than two weeks since Chris Cornell was discovered dead in his hotel room, and the circumstances of his death are still somewhat hazy. As musicians weigh in on the loss with tributes and performances, Cornell’s brother Pete has spoken up on social media to express his grief.
Related: Pearl Jam Bassist Calls Chris Cornell the Greatest Seattle Songwriter
“My heart is broken,” Pete Cornell wrote on Facebook. “Chris was always just my brother. We just ‘were.’ No pretense. No dog and pony show. We didn’t have to get deep all the time. Sometimes we only needed to just be in the same room and just be present. That was enough.”
Pete extended his sympathies to Soundgarden and Audioslave fans, who developed their own kind of relationship with Chris from afar.
“It wasn’t until this week, it really hit me how he belonged to the world. That he is an icon and a legend,” he continued. “That being said, I am so sorry to YOU for your loss. Artists, actors, musicians. We rely on these people to lift us up. To inspire us and distract us in times of trouble. Chris protected us when we needed him to. His one of a kind-ness surrounded us like a suit of armor. He was a warrior and a wizard. A howling wolf and a trusted mentor.”
Nevertheless, Pete affirmed that the grunge pioneer’s body of work will keep him in the hearts and minds of all who admired him.
“My brother gave freely of his gifts and it was never a struggle,” he wrote. “He kept himself from the saturation of celebrity in such a humble way. The power and anger and passion of my brother’s music was always genuine, original and legitimate. He was the powerful, sensitive, fragile, angry, mystical creature that will exist forever in his body of work. And he did it for ALL of us. Giving it away. Leaving all on the stage or in the recordings that will keep him immortal.”
Read Pete’s full statement here:
