Vicky Cornell, the widow of rock singer Chris Cornell[1], believes a prescribed medication[2] is the reason her husband of 13 years killed himself in a Detroit hotel room last May[3].
Officials ruled the Soundgarden singer’s death a suicide and found that drugs did not play a role in his death, though he had previously battled addiction for many years. The rock legend had a prescription for the anti-anxiety medication[5] Ativan, according to “Entertainment Tonight.” [4]
Vicky Cornell told Robin Roberts on “Good Morning America” Wednesday that her husband had called her the night he died and told her he “may have taken an extra Ativan or two.”
She believes that medication may have affected Cornell’s judgment before he died.
“He wanted to be there for his family, for his children. He loved his life. He would never have ever left this world,” Vicky told Roberts. “I don’t think that he could make any decisions because of the level of impairment.”
“My husband was the furthest thing from a rock star junkie, he just wasn’t,” she added. “He was the best husband, the greatest father. I lost my soulmate and the love of my life.”
She also admits she’s been hard on herself since his death.
“I know that people say you can’t blame yourself. I’m trying not to. But there were signs,” she said. “People don’t recognize it as a disease. I was, I feel, guilty of the same thing. You think addiction is a choice. And it’s not.”
References
- ^ Chris Cornell (www.huffingtonpost.com)
- ^ prescribed medication (abcnews.go.com)
- ^