Vicky Cornell Says She and Her Children 'Keep Chris Alive in Our Home' 5 Years After His Death

Mar. 15, 2025

Chris and Vicky Cornell.Photo: Tara Ziemba/Getty

Vicky Cornell, with the help of her children, is keeping her late husbandChris Cornell’s memory alive in her home.

The widow and mother of three opened up toGayle Kingwhen she called into SiriusXM’sGayle King In The Houseon Thursday night, explaining her family’s drive to continually honor the late Soundgarden frontman.

“Allow us to talk about our loved ones. Allow us to talk about them every day,” Cornell said. “And for me and my children, the most important thing has been to keep Chris alive in our home. So he’s spoken about every single day.”

Reflecting on the moments she found out Chris had died, Vicky told King that the feeling was “like a tsunami,” because the thought of it happening was “not on the radar.”

“This was not like ‘Oh, we have to deal with this’ in any sort of way. Chris did not suffer suicidal ideation, and Chris was not even depressed,” she said. “Chris was in recovery, and he had been on benzos. But again, looking back, nothing even at that very moment felt like… it was impossible. It came from nowhere.”

The Cornell family.Kevin Mazur/Getty

Together, Chris and Vicky shared daughter Toni, 17, and son Christopher, 16. Back in 2020, Toni shared ahead of World Mental Health Day that she and her brother Christopher had launched their podcast,Stop the Stigma: Tackling the Stigma of Addiction Through Education.

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Her first guest on the program was Dr. Nora Volkow, scientist and director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institute of Health, and the daughter of the rock icon was driven to teach listeners about the impacts of addiction.

The teen laterpaid tributeto her dad in July for what would have been the musician’s 58th birthday, sharing a video of her singingEminem’s “Love the Way You Lie” to her dad. Her caption: “Happy Birthday to the greatest dad and most incredible human whose life continues to leave an incredible mark on everyone he touches.”

“Today, on your birthday, I think so so many join me in saying we miss you the MOST,” Toni wrote. “The world would not be the same without you in it, and will never be the same with you gone. You wrote the soundtrack to not just our lives, but for millions, and we will forever hear it.”

source: people.com