MGM Hotel - 1777 3rd Ave. #1136, Detroit, MI 48226
This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Author: Jewls Krueger
On the night of May 17, 2017, Chris Cornell played a sold-out show with Soundgarden at the Fox Theatre in Detroit. It was the band's twelfth stop on their spring tour. Within a few hours of leaving the stage, Cornell was dead in his room at the MGM Grand Detroit, the casino resort a short walk from the theater. He was 52.
The Wayne County Medical Examiner ruled his death a suicide by hanging. The location, and specifically the room where he was found, has drawn fans ever since.
Chris Cornell - Creative Commons: possan
Christopher John Cornell was born Christopher John Boyle on July 20, 1964, in Seattle. He took his mother's maiden name after his parents divorced.
Cornell co-founded Soundgarden in Seattle in 1984 and became one of the defining voices of the grunge movement. The band broke through with the 1994 album Superunknown and its hit "Black Hole Sun." Soundgarden disbanded in 1997 and reunited in 2010.
Between roughly 2001 and 2007, Cornell fronted Audioslave alongside former members of Rage Against the Machine. He also released four solo albums and recorded "You Know My Name" for the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale. He was widely regarded as one of rock's most powerful vocalists.
Cornell had been open about past struggles with addiction. He was married to Vicky Karayiannis and was the father of three children.
Soundgarden's Detroit concert ended late on May 17, 2017. The final song of the set was a cover of Led Zeppelin's "In My Time of Dying." Cornell returned to his room at the MGM Grand afterward, while his bodyguard, Martin Kirsten, went to his own room.
Shortly after midnight, Cornell's wife Vicky called Kirsten and asked him to check on the singer, who was not answering his phone. Kirsten went to the room but could not get in because of an interior latch. According to a Detroit police report, hotel security would not open the door, so Kirsten forced his way inside.
He found Cornell unresponsive with an exercise band around his neck. Cornell was found at about 12:15 a.m. on May 18, in Room 1136.
Further Reading
The Wayne County Medical Examiner determined that Cornell died by hanging and ruled the death a suicide. A police crime scene report noted a ligature mark on his neck.
A toxicology report showed several substances in his system, though it did not include the OxyContin his wife had initially suspected. A bottle of a prescription steroid he had been taking was found in the room. Detroit police closed the investigation and said their timeline of the night was accurate.
Cornell's widow publicly disputed the suicide finding. Vicky Cornell argued that prescription drugs may have impaired his judgment and that a cause of death was released before the full autopsy was complete. An expert her attorneys retained, Dr. Richard Cote, wrote that drugs likely contributed and that Cornell was under significant mental and motor impairment. The medical examiner's ruling was not changed.
In 2025, Cornell was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Soundgarden. The ceremony took place on November 8, 2025, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. His daughter Toni performed "Fell on Black Days" as part of the tribute.
The MGM Grand Detroit remains open as a full-service casino resort in downtown Detroit, near the Fox Theatre and the Fillmore. It is an adults-only property with a single 400-room hotel tower, and Room 1136 sits on the eleventh floor. In the weeks after Cornell's death, fans called the hotel asking to book his room. The MGM Grand told them that guests cannot request specific rooms. A local operator, City Tour Detroit, has noted the interest as part of the city's darker tourism history.
If you visit, remember that this is a working hotel and a place of loss for Cornell's family and fans. Be respectful of other guests and staff, do not press employees for details about the room, and treat the site as the quiet memorial it has become for the people who loved his music.
If you're struggling with suicidal thoughts, you are not alone. Call or text 988 to be connected with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Musician Kurt Cobain took his own life in the greenhouse of this Seattle home
.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
John Lennon was murdered by a super-fan in front of this famous NYC building
Singer Marvin Gaye was shot and killed by his father inside this Los Angeles home.
A Quick Note From Our Founder
Morbid Tourism is independently researched and maintained by one person. Every location is fact-checked, verified, and mapped so you can find exactly what you're looking for. If this page helped you, a coffee keeps the research going.
