According to TMZ, a completed toxicology report has confirmed that Chris Cornell was using prescription drugs at the time of his death. The report reveals that the SOUNDGARDEN frontman had Naloxone (Narcan), Butalbital (a sedative), Lorazepam (Ativan), Pseudoephedrine (a decongestant) and barbiturates in his system when he was found dead after the band's performance in Detroit. He was 52. Cornell's widow issued a statement earlier in the week through the family's attorney in which she questioned the medical examiner's conclusion that her husband committed suicide by hanging himself in a hotel room on May 18. In the statement, released on Thursday (June 1), lawyer Kirk Pasich claimed that Vicky Cornell was "mystified that the medical examiner announced a cause of death when the full autopsy report has not been completed." The family claimed that it was still not clear on what may have caused Chris to hang himself, a determination the city's coroner made less than 24 hours after the singer's body was found by his bodyguard in the early hours of May 18. Pasich added that the family hoped there would be an end to speculation about the cause of Cornell's death. Vicky Cornell stated: "We are grateful for the outpouring of support as we mourn Chris's passing, but we still have several unanswered questions about what led to his death. We believe the toxicology report will answer these questions." The family has suggested that the anti-anxiety prescription medication Ativan, which Chris was taking, may have played a role in his demise. He may have taken a higher dosage than usual on the night of his death, with Vicky saying his speech sounded "slurred" during their final phone conversation. The toxicology report appears to show Cornell had ingested four tablets. "Chris, a recovering addict, had a prescription for Ativan and may have taken more Ativan than recommended dosages," Pasich said in a statement. "The family believes 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." Chris was laid to rest last Friday (May 26) at the Forever Hollywood cemetery in Los Angeles, attended by bandmates, fellow musicians and actors such as Brad Pitt and Josh Brolin that he had befriended.
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