Audioslave and Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell has died at the age of 52

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May 19, 2017 11:52 AM

A representative for the Audioslave and Soundgarden frontman told AP that his death was "sudden and unexpected."

Chris Cornell.

American rock star Chris Cornell has died at the aged of 52, according to Associated Press.

representative for the Audioslave and Soundgarden frontman, told AP that his death was "sudden and unexpected."

Bumbery said Cornell died Wednesday night in Detroit, America. His family, including his wife Vicky, were said to be shocked by his passing.

Cornell had performed with Soundgarden just hours before he died and was last month promoting his latest song "The Promise," written for the Christian Bale film of the same name.

Here he is performing the song on CBS This Morning last month:

Cornell was a gifted musician and is credited with having one of the best voices in rock music. He was one of the chief architects of the 1990s grunge movement, according to a biography on his website, fronting two award-winning bands.

He began his career with Soundgarden in 1984. The band were among the pioneers of grunge in Seattle alongside the likes of Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Alice in Chains. "Superunknown" was Soundgarden's biggest album in 1994 debuting at number one in the US charts and winning Grammy Awards for singles "Black Hole Sun" and "Spoonman."

Soundgarden released six albums, the last of which, "King Animal," was released in 2012. The band also toured Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and North America the same year.

In 2001, Cornell joined forces with Rage Against the Machine stars Tom Morello, Tim Commerford, and Brad Wilk to form supergroup Audioslave. The band's self-titled first album entered the Billboard 200 chart at number seven in 2002 and sold more than three million copies. It included the singles "Show Me How to Live" and "Like a Stone."

Cornell also performed in Temple of the Dog and had a solo career, which culminated in the release of "Higher Truth" in 2015. He also recorded the theme tune to the 2006 James Bond film "Casino Royale."

The world of music and Cornell's high-profile fans paid tribute to the songwriter, who had performed with Soundgarden the Fox Theatre in Detroit on Wednesday night.

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