A week after losing Chris Cornell to an apparent suicide, his wife has written an open letter to the late singer.
In the note, published Wednesday by Billboard, Vicky Cornell described her emotional state as "broken," but promised to take care of their two children and fight for the singer's legacy.
She reiterated her belief that Cornell was not himself the night of May 18, when he is said to have hung himself in his hotel bathroom following a concert date in Detroit. In a statement released by their attorney last week, the Cornell family asked that the media and public wait for full autopsy and toxicology reports before concluding that his death was an intentional suicide.
"I'm sorry, my sweet love, that I did not see what happened to you that night," she wrote. "I'm sorry you were alone, and I know that was not you, my sweet Christopher. Your children know that, too, so you can rest in peace."
Karayiannis had noticed that her husband had slurred his words in their last telephone conversation. With that in mind, and combined with the knowledge he was taking the anti-anxiety prescription drug Ativan, she asked a member of Soundgarden's security team to check on him following their Detroit concert. That's when his body was found.
She also spoke of the happiness she derived from seeing how motivated and engaged he was in recent years.
"You had always said I saved you, that you wouldn't be alive if it were not for me," she said. "My heart gleamed to see you happy, living and motivated. Excited for life. Doing everything you could to give back. We had the time of our lives in the last decade..."
"You were right when you said we are soulmates," she continued in a section that brought to mind the lyrics to Like a Stone, the 2002 hit he wrote with Audioslave. "It has been said that paths that have crossed will cross again, and I know that you will come find me, and I will be here waiting."
