Today (July 20) we remember singer Chris Cornell who would have been 54. Other rock birthdays include guitarist Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam (52), guitarist Jay Jay French of Twisted Sister (66) and Carlos Santana (71).

Chris Cornell was best known as the singer, primary songwriter, and rhythm for Soungarden and former singer/songwriter for the supergroup Audioslave. He also had a successful solo career and was the founder and frontman for the group Temple of the Dog. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 9 on their list of Best Lead Singers of All Time. Chris Cornell formed Soundgarden out of Seattle, Washington in 1984 with guitarist Kim Thayil and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. Drummer Matt Cameron joined the band in 1986, and in 1990 bassist Ben Shepherd became the permanent replacement for Yamamoto. The band’s biggest success came in 1994 with the album Superunknown and the hits “Black Hole Sun” and “Spoon Man”. Cornell played a sold out show at the Palace in Albany just last year while on his Higher Truth solo tour.

Cornell was found dead in his Detroit hotel room on May 18, 2017. He was 52. The death was ruled a suicide by the Wayne County Medical Examiner. Crank up the tunes and remember the amazing talent that was Chris Cornell today.

Stone Gossard
Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images
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Jay Jay French
Rob Kim/Getty Images
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Carlos Santana
Theo Wargo/Getty Images
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