Chris Cornell to be immortalised with a statue in Seattle
A statue of Chris Cornell is to be erected in his home city of Seattle, his wife Vicky has said.
The late Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog and Audioslave singer’s statue has been designed by artist and sculptor Wayne Toth and will be placed at an as-yet-unspecified location in the city.
Toth created the famous Johnny Ramone statue at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, where Chris was laid to rest in May.
“He has already given me a design and the children and I love it,” Vicky told The Seattle Times before adding it will take around seven months to create.
Seattle attorney and close family friend Mark Johnson is now communicating with Seattle government officials about potential locations for the statue.
Vicky says that she would love to take on board any fan feedback about the location. She said: “He is Seattle’s son and we will be bringing him home and honouring him, I hope, with all of you, your love and support.”
Together with the statue, Vicky has committed $100,000 to the Chris Cornell Music Therapy Program at the Seattle based charity Childhaven.
Founded in 1909, the organisation provides care for the youngest survivors of abuse and neglect and also teaches parents how to care and nurture for their children.
“Chris was always interested in protecting traumatized children who had suffered physical or psychological abuse,” Vicky told The Seattle Times. “He always felt music was a way to heal even neurological and emotional conditions.
“His promise was to help the most vulnerable children. My vow now is to keep his promise, and what better way to honour Chris and his hometown than by creating a music program to help these babies heal.”
You can see photos of rock stars who have been immortalised as statues in our gallery below, featuring Lemmy, Ronnie James Dio, Freddie Mercury, Bon Scott, Phil Lynott, Rory Gallagher and more.