Chris Cornell’s Daughter, Toni Cornell, Joins OneRepublic To Sing Tribute To Father & Chester Bennington [VIDEO]
Rock band OneRepublic took to the Good Morning America stage on Friday morning to pay tribute to two of their recently deceased contemporaries, Chris Cornell and Chester Bennington. Joining them was Cornell’s 12-year-old daughter, Toni Cornell.
OneRepublic and Cornell sang a somber cover of the late Leonard Cohen‘s “Hallelujah,” the song that Bennington sang at Cornell’s funeral in late May. The two singers were close friends and collaborators.
Bennington’s band, Linkin Park, was originally slated to perform on Good Morning America on Friday but OneRepublic filled in after Linkin Park canceled all tour dates and performances after the death of their lead singer.
“It’s a very special song to us,” OneRepublic’s lead singer Ryan Tedder said of “Hallelujah” before the performance. “And to most people, and I think especially to Toni, as well.”
Before the performance, the young Cornell said, “It’s an honor to perform this for my dad and to Chester, and to sing for them.”
Trading verses, the pair eventually teamed up in the last third of the song to sing a powerful harmony. Cameras showed several people in the audience with tears streaming down their faces.
Cornell, who was the lead singer for the bands Soundgarden and Audioslave, died on May 17 of this year by suicide at the age of 52. In addition to Toni, Cornell had two other children.
Bennington, who was godfather to one of Cornell’s children, died by suicide on July 20, on what would have been Cornell’s 53rd birthday. Bennington, the father of six children, was 41 when he died.
The two singers shared a close bond and collaborated on several occasions.
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