Celebrating the life of Chris Cornell

May 19, 2017

Chris Cornell (1964-2017)

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Chris Cornell, a loyal friend of The Promise and a fierce ally in the fight for recognition and human rights. We lost a true legend—our thoughts and sympathies go out to his family and friends.

All of us on The Promise team were incredibly fortunate to work with Chris Cornell. Chris was universally recognized as a singular talent—a groundbreaking artist whose music appealed to legions of fans and transcended generations. His fans understood the impact he had on the music industry as the chief architect of the grunge era, but more importantly, they felt the impact his music had on them personally.

We all know that Chris was a devoted husband, loving father, loyal friend, and colleague. The world is now beginning to find out that he was also a humanitarian and philanthropist who, through the Chris & Vicky Cornell Foundation, supported organizations that helped abused, vulnerable and at-risk kids. He and Vicky committed to this work without asking for recognition.

In April, Chris and Vicky visited the refugee camp in Leonas, Greece where they met with Syrian families who had fled the horrific violence that has engulfed their country. The heart wrenching stories they heard affected them deeply, and because of their desire to help the world’s most vulnerable children, Chris and Vicky committed to providing support to the camp.

Chris was an ally who, when he learned about the Armenian Genocide, made a commitment to help educate the world about it. He accomplished this with his soulful, beautiful and poignant ballad, The Promise. The song has resonated with people around the world and has played an important role in raising awareness about this tragic time in Armenian history.

So we celebrate Chris’ life—a purpose driven one where he made people happy with his music and helped children with his philanthropy. A life devoted to his loving wife Vicky, his children, Lillian, Toni and Christopher, and to his family and friends.

He touched all of our lives and we are lucky for having had him in our world.

Rest in peace, dear brother.

With love,

The Promise team