Chris Cornell was an American musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist, primary songwriter and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Soundgarden and as lead vocalist and songwriter for the supergroup Audioslave. He was also a solo artist and had released four solo studio albums, Euphoria Morning (1999), Carry On (2007), Scream (2009), Higher Truth (2015). Cornell was ranked fourth in Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time" and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Soundgarden in 2012. Cornell was born and raised in Seattle, Washington, and attended Christ the King Catholic elementary school, where he performed in choir. As a teenager, he began writing songs and playing guitar. After graduating from high school, he joined a local band called The Shemps, which later changed its name to Soundgarden. Soundgarden became one of the most successful bands of the grunge movement, releasing six studio albums between 1988 and 1996, including Badmotorfinger (1991) and Superunknown (1994), which peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. In 1997, Cornell left Soundgarden to form Audioslave with members of Rage Against the Machine. The band released three albums between 2002 and 2006, but disbanded in 2007 due to internal tensions. Cornell then released his first solo album, Euphoria Morning, in 1999. He released three more solo albums – Carry On (2007), Scream (2009), Higher Truth (2015) – before rejoining Soundgarden in 2010. The band released its sixth studio album, King Animal (2012), before Cornell unexpectedly died by suicide in 2017. Cornell's musical style ranged from hard rock to alternative metal to acoustic rock to grunge. He was also known for his powerful vocal range, which spans five octaves. His four solo studio albums have sold over 3 million copies worldwide and have been certified platinum or gold by the RIAA. His final album with Soundgarden, King Animal, debuted at number five on the Billboard 200 chart and was certified gold by the RIAA. Cornell won multiple awards throughout his career, including Grammy Awards for his work with Soundgarden and Audioslave.