Man, it's a day later and it's still quite hard to process.
I remind myself of how people reacted to the deaths of guys like Michael Jackson and Prince and Bowie. Artists I too loved and admired. And I saw how devastating it was for some people when their deaths came to pass. And there's been other deaths, specifically in grunge (Weiland, Staley...to some extent Cobain but I was still so young).
Cornell is my Michael Jackson. My David Bowie. My Prince.
Superunknown was the very first album I bought. I saved my money to grab it.
Cornell's lyrics and Soundgarden's music was so immensely instrumental in my upbringing. Superunknown was by far and away the most played album through my teenage years. I could recite every lyrics back to front. I'd fall asleep to Badmotorfinger.
Cornell's lyrics and voice tapped into what I felt as a young teen growing up in the mid 90s. It was the perfect music for my time. He felt like my friend there to comfort me.
I can't believe he's no longer with us. No longer there comforting us. I wish he could have gotten the help he needed. I wish it didn't have to end like this. I wish I had a way to comfort him the same way he comforted me for years.
He was a gift to the world. Nothing can ever take that away. And while we mourn, as we should, we should also remember all the good he did for so many people. So many of us owe so much to him.
One day, hopefully a long time from now, I will attend a concert at the pearly gates. And Cornell, Staley, Weiland, Cobain, and others will be there playing all the music that made my life so much more satisfying.