Grunge superstar Chris Cornell has died aged 52 just hours after performing a concert in Detroit

A representative said the singer’s death was “sudden and unexpected”.

The singer shot to fame as lead-singer of grunge rockers Soundgarden in the early ‘90s, in a wave of American bands that included Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Stone Temple Pilots.

Soundgarden formed in 1984 and released their first album ‘Ultramega OK’ in 1988, but it wasn’t until two albums later with the release of ‘Badmoterfinger’ (1991) that the band tasted success with songs such as Rusty Cage, Outshined and Jesus Christ Pose.

However it was their fourth album ‘Superunknown’ (1994) that really established the group. The video for Black Hole Sun was an MTV smash, as was Spoonman.

Soundgarden imploded following the tour in support of their ‘Down On The Upside’ album in 1997.

Cornell released four solo albums including 1997’s ‘Euphoria Morning and 2015’s ‘Higher Truth’. He also provided the soundtrack for the revamped James Bond franchise, penning You Know My Name for Casino Royale – the first movie to star Daniel Craig as James Bond- with composer David Arnold.

Cornell also formed the supergroup Audioslave, in a move which saw him effectively replacing Rage Against The Machine singer Zack de la Rocha and simply changing the name of the group.

Audioslave released three albums between 2002 -2006, but it was their self-titled debut which brought them the most success, yielding the hit singles Like A Stone and Cochise.

Soundgarden reformed to release ‘King Animal’ in 2012 and were on record as working on their seventh studio.

Cornell died aged 52 following a Soundgarden show in Detroit on Wednesday night.

Update: Cornell’s death has since been confirmed as “suicide by hanging” by the Wayne County Medical Examiner in Detroit.