Chris Cornell: Tributes to Soundgarden singer after sudden death, aged 52

Tributes have been pouring in for musician Chris Cornell after his sudden death, aged 52.

In a statement, the singer's representative Brian Bumberry said his death was 'sudden and unexpected' on Wednesday night after performing at the Fox Theatre in Detroit.

Cornell's family have asked for privacy while they work with a medical examiner to determine his exact cause of death.

Those to puy tribute to the singer include punk rocker Billy Idol, All Time Low frontman Alexander Gaskarth, and Jimmy Page.

Jane's Addiction's Dave Navarro said he was "so so stunned" to hear about Cornell's death, saying it was "such a terrible and sad loss".

Cornell rose to fame with the 1990s rock band Soundgarden, later forming the supergroup Audioslave with members of Rage Against the Machine.

He later received a Golden Globe nomination for writing and performing the theme song to James Bond film Casino Royale in 2006.

Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Cornell was one of the chief architects of the grunge movement, forming Soundgarden alongside guitarist Kim Thyail and bassist Hiro Yamamoto in 1984.

Soundgarden were famously the first grunge band to sign to a major label (A&M in 1988), paving the way for the likes of Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains to break out.

After initially breaking up, Cornell formed Audioslave with Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk. Cornell left the supergroup in 2007 to concentrate on solo material before regrouping with Soundgarden in 2010.