Soundgarden lead singer Chris Cornell dead at 52

According to his representative, rocker Chris Cornell, who gained fame as the lead singer of Soundgarden and later Audioslave, has died at age 52.

In a statement to The Associated Press, Brian Bumbery says Cornell died Wednesday night in Detroit.  Just hours before that announcement, Cornell's twitter account sent out a picture of the Fox Theater marquee, advertising Wednesday's sold-out Soundgarden show.

Detroit police say Cornell's wife called a family friend and asked him to check on her husband at the MGM Grand Detroit hotel.  Police say the friend forced his way into the hotel room, and found Cornell on the bathroom floor.  His death is being investigated as a suicide, although police are not saying exactly what led them to make that determination.

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.