As notes from his song “The Promise” filled the air, Chris Cornell’s memorial service began under a somber gray sky reminiscent of Seattle and the music scene he helped shape in the 1990s. Flanking a reflecting pool at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, family and friends including Brad Pitt, Pharrell and Christian Bale joined several of Cornell’s former bandmates for Friday’s private ceremony.
The two-time Grammy winner and frontman of Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog and Audioslave, died late May 17 in his hotel room after a Soundgarden concert in Detroit. He was 52. The local medical examiner has ruled his death a suicide, although results from toxicology tests are pending.
Friday’s service began shortly after noon, with remarks from Linda Ramone, widow of the late punk pioneer Johnny Ramone. They were followed by eulogies from Pearl Jam bassist and former Temple of the Dog bandmate, Jeff Ament, Soundgarden colleagues Matt Cameron and Kim Thayil, actor Josh Brolin and former Audioslave bandmate Tom Morello.
“Chris was as melodic as the Beatles, as heavy as Sabbath and as haunting as Edgar Allan Poe,” Morello said. “The demons he wrestled with were real, but he harnessed those demons, and rode them like a mother-flipping chariot of lightning strapped with Marshall stacks to make some of the greatest rock ’n’ roll of all time.”
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Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington and Brad Delson performed a simple rendition of “Hallelujah” in front of a crowd of about 250 mourners that included Billy Idol, Gavin Rossdale and Jerry Cantrell with other members of Alice in Chains.
After a closing prayer from the Rev. John Bakas from Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Los Angeles, guests exited to “Say Hello 2 Heaven,” a song Cornell released in 1991 with Temple of the Dog.
Then at 3 p.m., Hollywood Forever opened its gates for a public visitation at Cornell’s gravesite, which lies next to Johnny Ramone’s resting place in the “Garden of Legends.” A fan named Rich Corral slyly added a handwritten note to the top of the “Garden of Legends” sign temporarily changing it to read “Soundgarden of Legends.”
The 46-year-old from Colton applauded Cornell’s wife, Vicky Karayiannis, for interring her husband’s ashes at Hollywood Forever, which is easily accessible to fans.
“I think it’s her way of giving him back to us,” he said. “From Seattle to the entertainment capital of the world right here. Everyone can come here to pay their respects in this beautiful place.”
Cornell’s other immediate neighbors in the “Garden of Legends” are producer-director Tony Scott (“Top Gun,” “Beverly Hills Cop II”) and actress Hattie McDaniel (“Gone With the Wind”).
For now, Cornell’s gravesite consists of a flat, engraved marble marker surrounded by a mountain of flowers and handwritten notes that grew larger as the day wore on.
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Tonia Bodley, 46, from Pomona, brought a bouquet of red roses wrapped in a plaid flannel shirt.
“I wrapped them in flannel just to kind of signify the grunge era,” she said with a smile. “His music really touched me, and I can identify with his depression struggles.”
Grieving fans — some openly sobbing — formed a tight circle around Cornell’s headstone, seeking solace in a group sing-along of Audioslave’s “I Am the Highway” and “Seasons,” his solo track from Cameron Crowe’s 1992 movie “Singles,” about the Seattle music scene. The group therapy session ended in laughter during “Say Hello 2 Heaven” when no one could reach the high notes. Cornell possessed a near four-octave vocal range.
Among those wiping away tears was 35-year-old Melody Andrade from Santa Fe Springs, who attended with her 4-year-old son, Jude. Both wore “Say Hello 2 Heaven” shirts they had made as a tribute to Cornell.
“It’s a very historic event for me,” Andrade said. “It feels like the death of Elvis or John Lennon. We lost a big one.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
