Chris Cornell statue vandalized in Seattle

A statue of Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell was vandalized outside the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle on Thursday.

Social media has confirmed the destruction:

The Chris Cornell statue outside of MoPOP has been vandalized. pic.twitter.com/AcSKN0c7jI

— Travis “HIRE ME!” Hay (@guerrillacandy) August 21, 2020

The Museum of Pop tells The Seattle Times that they’re working on assessing the damage and plan to restore the statue.

“We are deeply pained by this act targeting the memory of a beloved artist in Seattle and around the world,” museum officials said in a statement to The Times.

Cornell, who helped lead the grunge movement with Soundgarden, killed himself in 2017 following a performance in Detroit. He was 52.

Cornell’s wife, Vicky Cornell, commissioned the statue, which was unveiled in 2018.

She posted on Instagram that the vandalism is heartbreaking.

“The statue is not only art, but a tribute to Chris, his incomparable musical legacy and everything that he stood for.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

My children and I were heartbroken to learn of the vandalization of Chris’s statue at the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle. The statue is not only art, but a tribute to Chris, his incomparable musical legacy and everything that he stood for. It represents Chris, who is beloved not only in Seattle, but worldwide. In the face of this hate and destruction ( and I want to be clear, this was not in the course of riots or protests. It was a threat that was carried out by a single disturbed individual at 6am in an attempt to besmirch Chris’s legacy). Im 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 supplies and tried to clean it up. When we were told about it today I cried, my kids cried-your gesture was a reminder of how much more good there is out there and how you the fans show up for our beloved Chris. No matter what, ‘you’re never far away… ‘ thank you. The statue will be restored. Hate will not win. CHRIS IS SEATTLE’S SON forever… Thank you Seattle and @mopopseattle #lovealwayswins #chriscornell Forever 🖤

A post shared by Vicky Cornell (@vickycornell) on Aug 21, 2020 at 6:25pm PDT

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