A Chris Cornell statue standing in Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) to commemorate the late Soundgarden frontman was vandalized.
MoPOP released a statement confirming that the sculpture was recently targeted. Photos that make their rounds on social media show the bronze statue covered in what appears to be white paint.
“We are deeply saddened by this act, which directed the memory of a beloved artist in Seattle and around the world,” MoPOP said in a statement via The Seattle Times. “We have informed appropriate authorities and have cordoned off the area so that professional conservators can assess the damage and develop a plan that will restore this important piece of public art without further damaging it.”
CHRIS CORNELL DOCUMENT IN THE WORKS OF BRAD PITT, PETER BERG
Seattle is the birthplace of Cornell. His wife, Vicky Cornell, commissioned the piece and donated it to the museum as a way to honor the late artist. It portrays the singer holding a Gibson guitar with one hand in the air while wearing his signature boots and dog tags.
Vicky took to Instagram last Friday to share that she and the couple’s children were “heartbroken” to learn of the act of vandalism.
“The statue is not only art, but a tribute to Chris, his unwavering musical legacy and everything he stood for. It represents Chris, who is experienced not only in Seattle but worldwide,” Vicky drew a photo of the image.
CHRIS CORNELL’S TEEN DAUGHTER RELEASES SONG THEIR AND
His widow stated that the deed “was not in the course of uprisings or protests.” They claimed the destruction was carried out by a “one-dead individual” who was trying to “inherit Chris.”
A life-size statue of Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell donated by Vicky Cornell will be unveiled to the public at MoPop on October 7, 2018 in Seattle, Washington.
(Mat Hayward / Getty Images)
She went on: “I’m so grateful to the fans who stood up to support and showed such immense love – after hearing about it, they made their way there in the middle of the night with deliveries and tried to clean it up. “
Vicky added that she and her children “cried” after learning of the destruction, but the kind of friendliness of the fans in the aftermath was a reminder that there is “much more good” in the world. They confirmed that the statue is being restored.
“Hate will not win,” she concluded in her post. “CHRIS IS SEATTLE’S SON FOREVER …”
Cornell was the lead singer for the bands Soundgarden and Audioslave. He died by suicide in May 2017 at the age of 52.
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A medical investigator determined that Cornell killed himself by hanging out in a room at the MGM Grand hotel after a concert.
The musician left behind three children: daughter Toni, 15, and son, Christopher, 14, with Vicky, and daughter, Lillian, 20, with his ex Susan Silver.
