×
GreekEnglish

×
  • Politics
  • Diaspora
  • World
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Cooking
Friday
16
Jan 2026
weather symbol
Athens 14°C
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • World
  • Diaspora
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Mediterranean Cooking
  • Weather
Contact follow Protothema:
Powered by Cloudevo
> World

Rock royalty & celebrities says goodbye to Chris Cornell

Brad Pitt and Metallica' Ulrich & Hetfield were all present for the tragically deceased Soundgarden frontman

Newsroom May 28 01:36

Pharrell, Brad Pitt and Josh Brolin were among the celebrities who arrived at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery to say farewell to Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell on Friday.

They were joined by such rock luminaries as Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield of Metallica, Dave Navarro of Jane’s Addiction and Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters.

Also present were Christian Bale, Courtney Love and Bush’s Gavin Rossdale – as well as Cornell’s former bandmates, Matt Cameron and Kim Thayil.

The celebrity crowd filed in solemnly under overcast skies to join Cornell’s wife, Vicky Karayiannis, and their children, Toni and Christopher, in mourning.

c1

(Chris Cornell’s wife, Vicky and their two children were seen attending his funeral in Los Angeles on Friday)

 

c2

(Also in attendance was Brad Pitt who seemed visibly moved)

As chauffeured cars and SUVs passed through the exclusive cemetery’s guarded gates, Soundgarden music could be heard playing from a portable speaker outside, where around a dozen fans had gathered.

Rows of white chairs and floral arrangements were set out on the cemetery’s Fairbanks Lawn, while Audioslave’s ‘Like a Stone’ played from speakers.

c3

(Among the Hollywood film stars are the event was ex-Batman Christian Bale -rear of image, fourth from left-)

Among the crowds inside, Men in Black 3 and No Country for Old Men star Josh Brolin was seen with slicked-back hair and a sharp black suit offset by a dark purple tie.

He was seen laughing at one point and – later, looking more somber – helping Vicky across the lawn. He later delivered a eulogy to the crowd.

Brad Pitt arrived in a sharp white shirt and black suit.

Avengers and Mission: Impossible star Jeremy Renner sported a similar slick quiff to Brolin, while ex-Batman Christian Bale arrived in a black shirt and scruffy beard and Rossdale kept it simple with a black suit and tie.

c4

(Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl -in glasses and collarless shirt-)

Grohl, meanwhile, brought a little rock edge to the affair, sporting a silver crucifix over a tight gray collarless shirt and what appeared to be a velvet jacket. Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington brought his own sense of style with a black bow tie on a black shirt and suit.

c5

(Dave Navarro -center- of rock legends Jane’s Addiction, and Mike Bordin -left- drummer from Faith No More)

The rocker’s funeral came just over a week after Cornell hanged himself in the bedroom of the MGM Grand Hotel in Detroit, aged just 52.

Outside the gates, Melody Andrade brought her four-year-old son Jude to pay respects to Cornell. The pair wore matching T-shirts that read, ‘Say Hello 2 Heaven.’

c6

‘I feel like this is just as big as the death of Elvis or John Lennon. That’s why I had to bring my son,’ Andrade said. ‘There will never be another. He’s a modern day Freddie Mercury. I needed some closure on this.’

Cornell was cremated after a private ceremony on Tuesday; his ashes are being interred at Hollywood Forever next to Johnny Ramone, the lead singer for punk band The Ramones.

c7

(James Franco was glimpsed, apparently lost in thought while looking at a wreath laid to Cornell)

Decorated with bouquets of flowers and several red roses, Cornell’s gravemarker read, ‘Voice of our generation and an artist for all time.’

His remains also join those of countless other stars laid to rest there, including actress Jayne Mansfield, actors Douglas Fairbanks and Rudolph Valentino, and filmmaker Cecil B DeMille.

c8

(Cornell’s Soundgarden compatriot Matt Cameron delivered a few words about his lost friend)

 

c13

(Kim Thayil, Cornell’s Soundgarden, bandmate)

Eulogies were delivered on a dais by those close to Cornell, including Tom Morello, Matt Cameron, Chester Bennington,  Kim Thayil and Josh Brolin, surrounded by four large portraits of the late musician.

‘Chris was as melodic as The Beatles, as heavy as Sabbath and as haunting as Edgar Allan Poe,’ Morello, Cornell’s Audioslave bandmate, said during his eulogy.

c9

(Krist Novoselic, formerly of Nirvana, was also present)

 

c14

(Jeff Ament -left in black- bassist for Pearl Jam)

‘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.’

They all spoke of the rocker’s compassion and his delight in his three children. Cameron said he and Cornell had ‘so many normal dad conversations’ about the Cornell kids: Christopher, Toni and Lily.

‘Losing my brother and artistic soulmate will always pale in comparison with you three kids losing your dad,’ Cameron said. ‘Let it be known that I am here for you and will forever be in your lives.’

c10 c11

(Several of those in attendance seemed emotional at various points during the service including actor Christian Bale and Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine)

>Related articles

Epaminondas Stathopoulos: The Greek who shaped the sound of the electric guitar

Israel will participate in Eurovision; Spain, the Netherlands & Ireland withdraw

Giorgos Hatzidakis: The British producer of the Bofiliou–Haroulis tour responds – “His wish has no legal force outside Greek territory”

 

c15

(Kanan Sanchez places a folded sheet of paper with the word ‘Sound’ over the stone at the Garden of Legends section of the Hollywood Forever Cemetery)
Source

Ask me anything

Explore related questions

#Brad Pitt#Chris Cornell#funeral#music#Soundgarden
> More World

Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news

See all the latest News from Greece and the World, the moment they happen, at en.protothema.gr

> Latest Stories

X is down, thousands report problems

January 16, 2026

“Her father cut her hair because she asked to go to a hair salon, they never gave her money”: New testimonies about Laura

January 16, 2026

Rama persists after rant at Greek journalist and questions the link between Greek speakers and Plato and Aristotle

January 16, 2026

CIA chief in Venezuela meets with Rodriguez

January 16, 2026

Less alcohol and lower speeds with the new Highway Code and strict fines

January 16, 2026

The historic cafes of Athens: 12 legendary hangouts lost to time

January 16, 2026

Why seasonal flu is so “aggressive” this year: An infectious disease specialist from “Sotiria” explains the two main causes

January 16, 2026

Mitsotakis attends the inauguration of the renovated Emergency Department at Red Cross Hospital

January 16, 2026
All News

> technology

From Tesla to Disney, 4 companies are preparing humanoid robots for the market: What they can do, how much they will cost

They fold clothes, serve coffee, work in factories and are getting ready to enter our homes — the four most advanced robots moving closer to everyday life

January 4, 2026

iPhone 17: Slimmer, better, but not much more expensive despite Trump’s tariffs

September 10, 2025

Voice Cloning: A new form of AI-assisted fraud sweeps the US and is coming to Europe

October 20, 2024

Instagram: Changes for minors – Introducing ‘teen accounts’ with parental supervision, countries affected

September 17, 2024

Europe at the forefront of artificial intelligence: The first AI law

August 30, 2024
Homepage
PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY COOKIES POLICY TERM OF USE
Powered by Cloudevo
Copyright © 2026 Πρώτο Θέμα