DETROIT — (AP) Rocker Chris Cornell, who gained fame as the lead singer of Soundgarden and later Audioslave, committed suicide. He was 52.

A medical examiner confirmed that Cornell committed suicide by hanging himself in a Detroit hotel.

A full autopsy report was not yet completed Thursday afternoon.

Two Detroit newspapers had earlier cited a police spokesman Cornell was found with “a band around his neck.”

Bumbery called the death “sudden and unexpected” and said his wife and family were shocked by it. The statement said the family would be working closely with the medical examiner to determine the cause and asked for privacy.

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