This Friday (May 18) will mark one year since Chris Cornell’s unexpected passing in a Detroit hotel, and unfortunately, there are still a lot of confusion around his death, according to his widow, Vicky Cornell.

Vicky gave an interview to The Detroit News where she criticized the way the investigation into her husband’s death was handled by Wayne County medical examiner, who declared Chris’s death the result of suicide by hanging just hours after being declared dead and also said drugs weren’t a factor in his death.

“This has left me and my family still looking for answers, but at the same time, set off this whirlwind of conspiracies,” said Vicky.  “Some of the people are just fans looking for answers, but some of them are conspiracy theorists who have said the most vile things to my children and me.”

Of course, it’s publically known that Chris took a double dose of his prescribed Ativan the night of his death and that two months prior he had a relapse.  Chris also sustained a head injury at some point between soundcheck and his final performance which was noted by EMS but wasn’t included in the autopsy.

Vicky concluded, “I think it was, unfortunately, the perfect storm, a combination of factors that made him go manic. Had the medical examiner looked at all these factors, maybe they wouldn’t have concluded it was a suicide in just an hour and a half.”

It’s understandable the frustration Vicky and her children are experiencing, especially considering the various unfounded conspiracy theories that have surfaced surrounding Chris’s death.  We sincerely hope any misreported statements are eventually righted for the sake of not just Chris Cornell’s family but for his legacy as well.

Erica Banas is a rock/classic rock blogger that loves the smell of old vinyl in the morning.