Almost immediately after the Wayne County Medical Examiner's office released a report stating singer Chris Cornell's death had been ruled a suicide, his family responded by releasing their own statement, disputing the claims. Cornell's wife believed her husband had taken an overdose of prescription medication, impairing his mental judgement and leading to his demise. Only two weeks later, the results of toxicology testing performed on the 52-year-old's remains show that the rocker did, in fact, have prescription drugs in his system at the time of his death, but experts do not believe those medications would have played a role in ending his life.
Mix of sedatives, anxiety medications found
According to the toxicology report, originally cited by TMZ late Thursday night before being released by the Medical Examiner's office on Friday, Cornell had a mix of Naloxone (Narcan), Butalbital (a sedative), Lorazepam (Ativan), Pseudoephedrine (a decongestant) and barbiturates in his system when he died. Narcan is best known as an opioid blocker, often carried by first responders, and used as an emergency treatment for suspected overdose. Butalbital, Lorazepam, and barbiturates are known to have addictive qualities and are generally not prescribed to patients with a history of addiction unless closely monitored by a doctor.
Cornell had admitted to having a history of alcoholism and addictions to both prescription medications and hard drugs in the past.
He was thought to have been sober since 2002.
However, despite the findings revealed in the toxicology report, the Medical Examiner's office maintains Cornell died by suicide after being found in the bathroom of his Detroit hotel room. Reports at the time that the singer-songwriter had hanged himself were later corroborated by investigators.
Widow issued statement after toxicology released
Following the release of the toxicology report on Friday, Cornell's widow, Vicky, released a statement -- her first since penning an emotional letter to her late husband the week after his passing. It was Vicky who first alerted Cornell's security team to check on her husband after believing he was acting suspiciously on the night of his death.
On the phone that evening, Cornell told his wife he, "may have taken an extra Ativan or two."
Saying that those closest to Cornell had noticed "that something was very off" before he died, she now believes this was due to the prescription drugs listed in the toxicology report. After referring to the length of time her husband had been clean and sober, Vicky explained the impact of his relapse on their children, "something clearly went terribly wrong and my children and I are heartbroken and are devastated that this moment can never be taken back."
She ended her brief statement by thanking friends and Cornell's fans for "the love we have received during this extremely difficult time."
