In this 2012 photo, Chris Cornell and his wife, Vicky Karayiannis, attend the celebration of “Commando: The Autobiography of Johnny Ramone,” in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Katy Winn, File)

In this 2012 photo, Chris Cornell and his wife, Vicky Karayiannis, attend the celebration of “Commando: The Autobiography of Johnny Ramone,” in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Katy Winn, File)

Chris Cornell’s widow still awaiting details about his death

By Sandy Cohen / Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Chris Cornell’s widow says she’s grateful for the support her family has received in the wake of the Soundgarden frontman’s death last month, but she still doesn’t know what caused him to hang himself.

Vicky Cornell says in a statement Thursday that she is still awaiting the toxicology reports she hopes will clarify the circumstances around her late husband’s apparent suicide.

“We still have several unanswered questions about what led to his death,” she said. “We believe the toxicology report will answer these questions.”

Cornell family attorney Kirk Pasich says Detroit legal officials denied his request for police and toxicology reports because the investigation remains open.

Ellen Ha, an attorney in Detroit’s Law Department, told The Associated Press Thursday that the city sent a denial response letter May 25 to Jeffrey L. Schulman of Liner LLP who claimed his firm represents “the estate and family of Christopher Cornell.”

“On the same day, we responded to multiple media outlets with the same response,” Ha said.

The denial letter sent last week to The AP said that the “disclosure of any information at this time would compromise and interfere with” the Detroit police investigation into Cornell’s death.

Chris Cornell was pronounced dead May 18 when he was found unresponsive in a Detroit hotel room hours after performing a concert with Soundgarden. Coroner’s officials said preliminary autopsy results show the singer hanged himself, but Cornell’s family disputes the findings and claims he may have taken more of an anti-anxiety drug than he was prescribed.

AP writers Corey R. Williams and David Runk in Detroit contributed to this report.

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