Anthony Kiedis on Chris Cornell’s Suicide: ‘I Don’t Judge Him for That, Because I Don’t Know That Kind of Pain’
Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis has spoken out on the death of Chris Cornell, telling Edmonton, Alberta radio station Sonic 102.9 that he doesn't judge the Soundgarden and Audioslave singer for taking his own life "because I don't know that kind of pain."
"Well, he is of our generation, so he's someone that I've been conscious of since, I guess, the mid-'80s," Kiedis tells the station in video which can be viewed above. "You never expect a contemporary who's alive and well and still playing to suddenly check out like that. So I can't say that I took him for granted, but I just didn't - it was kind of shocking."
Cornell's death last month (May 18) was ruled "suicide by hanging" after he was found unresponsive in his Detroit hotel room following a Soundgarden show.
"We have a relationship with him and the rest of Soundgarden, 'cause we went on tour with them in 1992 with Lollapalooza, and they were just a bunch of sweethearts, and we got to see them constantly," Kiedis adds. "It was nice to see them back together and crushing to know that he was in a painful place in his mind to the point where he could wanna take his own life. And I don't judge him for that, because I don't know that kind of pain. Obviously, it has to be overwhelming in order to wanna leave. So, bless his family. He left the world a better place."
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