Late rocker Chris Cornell was reportedly cremated at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery on Tuesday (May 23).
The Soundgarden and Audioslave singer was found dead following his band’s show in Detroit, Michigan on May 17 and a coroner subsequently ruled the 52-year-old’s passing a suicide by hanging.
It was rumored that he would be buried at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles in a private funeral on Friday, and while that service is still set to go ahead, the family have apparently cremated his remains first.
According to TMZ.com, Cornell’s wife Vicki, brother Pete and friends Linda Ramone, widow of late Ramones rocker Johnny, and singer J.D. King were the only people present when he was cremated at the famous celebrity burial ground on Tuesday.
The group were reportedly there for about an hour, and will return on Friday, when his ashes will be buried in a private ceremony surrounded by other friends and family members.
Once the service is over, fans of the rocker will reportedly be able to visit the burial site and cemetery officials tell TMZ they are prepared for a large crowd.
Other notable celebrities interred at the cemetery include Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland and Cecil B. DeMille. A Johnny Ramone statue was unveiled there in 2005, around four months after his death. Linda has kept his ashes but their remains will both be placed in the statue after her death.
Following Chris’ death, Vicki issued a statement blaming his suicide on prescription anti-anxiety medication he was taking.
“What happened is inexplicable and I am hopeful that further medical reports will provide additional details. I know that he loved our children and he would not hurt them by intentionally taking his own life,” the mother of his two children said.
Their lawyer Kirk Pasich added, “The family believes that if Chris took his life, he did not know what he was doing, and that drugs or other substances may have affected his actions.”
