Vicky Cornell, Chris Cornell’s Widow, Says Singer Didn’t Want To Die

Vicky Cornell has spoken out about her husband Chris Cornell‘s tragic death, which has been ruled as a suicide.

VICKY CORNELL SAYS CHRIS CORNELL DIDN’T WANT TO DIE

On May 18, the Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman was found dead in his hotel room with a wire around his neck. His wife, however, is not convinced that Cornell meant to kill himself. “My Chris was happy, loving, caring and warm,” she told People. “This was not a depressed man—it wasn’t like I missed that. What I missed were the signs of addiction.”

Cornell had struggled with addiction in the past, but had been sober for four years. Chris had been, however, taking prescription pills for his anxiety, which were found in his system at his time of death, though not in a higher dosage than prescribed. Vicky claims the pills altered his state of mind, and one in particular, a sleep aid called Ativan, has the side effect of suicidal thoughts.

“He didn’t want to die,” Vicky says. “If he was of sound mind, I know he wouldn’t have done this… Chris was humble, sweet, kind, and good, with the patience of a saint.” Since her husband had been sober since 2009, she “relaxed, I guess.”

But the night of his death, Vicky spoke with the rocker on the phone, and says he didn’t sound like himself. “He was on a rant. I said, ‘You need to tell me what you took,’ and he just got mean,” she says. “That wasn’t my Chris… Addiction is a disease. That disease can take over you and has full power. I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure other children don’t have to cry like mine have cried.”

The Cornells share two children, Toni, 12, and Christopher, 11, and Cornell has daughter Lily, 17, from a previous marriage.