Remembering Chris Cornell and his most notable songs

Cornell leaves a legacy as frontman for iconic alternative bands.

ByABC News
May 18, 2017, 5:19 PM

— -- Chris Cornell died this morning at the age of 52. The Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed that the rocker took his own life in Detroit.

Cornell leaves a legacy as frontman for iconic alternative bands including Soundgarden, Audioslave and Temple of the Dog. Cornell founded Soundgarden in 1984 and wrote, recorded and performed many chart-topping hits during the grunge and post-grunge periods.

Here's a look at some of his notable songs.

"Hunger Strike" - 1991

In 1990, Cornell formed the band Temple of the Dog in Seattle with members of what became Pearl Jam, in tribute to his late friend Andrew Wood, the lead singer of Mother Love Bone who died of a heroine overdose. "Hunger Strike" featured a duet between Cornell and Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder and was the first song released from the self-titled album "Temple of the Dog."

The song peaked at number four on Billboard's list of Mainstream Rock Tracks.

PHOTO: Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam and Chris Cornell perform during the 28th annual Bridge School Benefit at Shoreline Amphitheatre, Oct. 26, 2014, in Mountain View, California.
Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam and Chris Cornell perform during the 28th annual Bridge School Benefit at Shoreline Amphitheatre, Oct. 26, 2014, in Mountain View, California.

"Say Hello 2 Heaven" - 1991

In addition to "Hunger Strike," Cornell wrote "Say Hello 2 Heaven" in tribute to Andrew Wood. The song, also performed by Temple of the Dog, reached number five on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

"Spoonman" - 1994

The 1995 Grammy-winning hit "Spoonman" was released by Cornell's other band, Soungarden, as the band's first single from their fourth studio album, "Superunknown," which reached number one on the Billboard 200 chart. "Spoonman" appeared at number three on Billboard's chart of Mainstream Rock Tracks and was included on the greatest hits album, "A-Sides."

The song received the Grammy award for Best Metal Performance, beating out Anthrax and Pantera.

"Black Hole Sun" - 1994

Known for it's eerie, psychedelic music video featuring a suburban neighborhood, "Black Hole Sun" rose to number one on Billboard's list of Mainstream Rock Songs. The successful song was released as the third single from "Superunknown" in 1994.

"Fell on Black Days" - 1994

"Fell on Black Days" by Soundgarden was released as the fifth single off "Superunknown" in 1994. The song was included on the band's 1997 greatest hits album, "A-Sides" and peaked at number four on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

The year of its release, Cornell spoke with British music newspaper "Melody Maker" about its meaning.

"'Fell on Black Days' was like this ongoing fear I've had for years," he said. "It's a feeling that everyone gets -- you're happy with your life, everything's going well, things are exciting —- when all of a sudden you realize you're unhappy in the extreme, to the point of being really, really scared."

PHOTO: Kim Thayil, Chris Cornell and Matt Cameron of Soundgarden perform on stage at Shepherds Bush Empire, Nov. 9, 2012, in London.
Kim Thayil, Chris Cornell and Matt Cameron of Soundgarden perform on stage at Shepherds Bush Empire, Nov. 9, 2012, in London.

"Show Me How to Live" - 2003

"Show Me How to Live" is the third single released by Audioslave off their first, self-titled album, "Audioslave." In a 2006 interview with SPIN magazine, Cornell revealed why he thought the band, formed in 2001, would last.

"[It was] awhile before it felt like, 'Oh, this is my home, and these are my friends, and this is my band, and they’re going to be different from my other band.' Then it didn’t feel like there was any reason not to keep going."

"Like a Stone" - 2003

"Like a Stone" is Audioslave's second single from their first album. The hit song topped multiple music charts and reached number 31 on the Hot 100 chart.

PHOTO: Chris Cornell and Audioslave in 2005.
Chris Cornell and Audioslave in 2005.