Chris Cornell, former frontman for Soundgarden and Audioslave, won a posthumous Grammy Award on Sunday night for Best Rock Performance. His daughter and son accepted the award on his behalf.
Cornell, who died by suicide in 2017, won the Grammy for his song “When Bad Does Good,” which was released in September as part of a posthumous album of unreleased music. Fourteen-year-old Toni Cornell was joined by her brother Christopher Cornell to accept the award on their father’s behalf at a ceremony prior to Sunday night’s Grammy Awards.
“His voice was his vision and his music was his peace,” Toni Cornell said of her late father. “This is for you daddy, we love you so much.”
“I never thought we’d be standing here without my dad, and I’m sure he would be proud and honored,” Christopher Cornell added. “He was known for many things. He was a rock icon, the godfather of grunge and the creator of a movement whose contribution to music history made a lasting impact across genres and generations. He was also one of the greatest poets of his time, whose … soaring, unforgettable vocals made him the voice of a generation. While he touched the hearts of millions, the most important thing he was known for to us is for being the greatest father.”
The late singer’s children, along with his wife Vicky Karayiannis, walked the red carpet at Sunday night’s event. Toni Cornell paid tribute to her father by wearing a shirt with his image.
When the singer’s nomination was announced back in September, his wife tweeted from his account, “Chris would be so proud.”
The singer’s family attended the Grammy Awards last year including wife Karayiannis, daughter Toni, and his daughter from another relationship, Lillian Jean Cornell.
The former frontman for Soundgarden and Audioslave rose to fame in the 1990s grunge scene. He released six albums with Soundgarden and four studio albums during his solo career, most recently in 2015. He was nominated in 2012 for a Golden Globe Award for writing the original song “The Keeper” for the 2011 film “Machine Gun Preacher.”
Cornell has been nominated for 16 Grammys over his career. This is his third award.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article indicated that Cornell attended the Grammys last year with his family. In fact, Cornell’s family attended the Grammys on behalf of Cornell in 2018 without the singer.
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