Chris Cornell cremated at private ceremony ahead of funeral later this week

Soundgarden icon Chris Cornell has reportedly been cremated at a private ceremony, ahead of his funeral later this week.

The grunge legend, also a solo artist and frontman for Audioslave, was found dead in his hotel room last week (May 17). He was aged just 52-years-old.

While it was previously confirmed that he will laid to rest at a funeral at Hollywood Forever Cemetery on Friday May 26, now TMZ report that Cornell was cremated at the same venue yesterday in a private service attended by wife Vicky, brother Peter and friends Linda Ramone and J.D. King.

Sources also claim that fans will later be able to visit the site of his burial following his funeral later this week.

Soundgarden's Chris Cornell — Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell

While Cornell’s death is being treated as a suicide, his family have claimed that prescription drugs may have contributed towards him taking his own life.

They said that “if Chris took his life, he did not know what he was doing, and that drugs or other substances may have affected his actions.” The statement adds: “Without the results of toxicology tests, we do not know what was going on with Chris – or if any substances contributed to his demise.” The statement also cites the side effects of anxiety medication Ativan to include “paranoid or suicidal thoughts, slurred speech and impaired judgement”.

In the wake of Cornell’s passing, fans of the singer and frontman created a makeshift memorial at Seattle’s Sound Garden – where Cornell’s band derived their name – while the city’s famous Space Needle also went dark in tribute.