His technical skill as a guitarist was unparalleled, earning him respect as a guitar player even from other guitarists. Cornell was also an accomplished songwriter. His lyrics were noted for their depth and emotional directness.
Cornell's vocal range spanned three octaves and a half, and he was known for his unique tone and style. Cornell had a contralto singing voice with heavy metal influence, but music writers have described his voice as "fearless", "screaming", and "shredding". Cornell was born in Seattle to parents who were musicians.
As a child, he taught himself how to play drums and started his first band with his younger brother Tim. In high school, Cornell attended Seattle's Roosevelt High School, where he met future Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron. In his teens, he played in several bands including the grunge band TAD before joining Soundgarden in 1984 as their drummer.
After the band achieved moderate success with their debut album Ultramega OK (1988), they disbanded in 1990 due to internal strife over songwriting credits and recording methods. In 1991, Cornell formed Temple of the Dog as a side project with Cameron that lasted until 1994 when both parted ways acrimoniously. After Soundgarden reunited in 1997 for a final album and tour that year, the band broke up again due to complications from their previous break-up.
In 2002, Soundgarden reformed for another studio album and toured extensively until breaking up again in 2007 due to a dispute between Cornell and Cameron over musical direction, leaving Cameron as their only original member left from the 1990s era of the band. In 2010, after many years apart from his former bandmates in Soundgarden, Cornell reunited with them to perform at Lollapalooza along with Alice in Chains on August 3–5 of that year. On May 17, 2017, it was announced that Cornell had died by suicide at age 52 at his home in Detroit; some news outlets reported he had committed suicide by hanging himself while others reported it as an apparent suicide related to long-time health problems related to