Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell killed himself by hanging last month in a Detroit, Michigan, hotel room, a new autopsy report has confirmed.

The report, released Friday, revealed that the 52-year-old musician had drugs in his system when he died, including from anti-anxiety medication, but that those drugs did not contribute to his death, the Associated Press reported. The report confirms an earlier assessment from a local medical examiner who determined Cornell died from hanging.

According to the AP, Cornell was discovered with a resistance band that was around his neck and attached to the top of a bathroom door. A toxicology test identified the presence of barbiturates, caffeine, naloxone, a decongestant, and lorazepam, also known as Ativan, in Cornell's body.

"These drugs did not contribute to the cause of death," Theodore Brown, assistant Wayne County medical examiner, told the AP.

In a statement to BuzzFeed News shortly after Cornell was discovered in his hotel room, his representative, Brian Bumbery, said the death was "sudden and unexpected."



"His wife Vicky and family were shocked to learn of his sudden and unexpected passing," Bumbery said, adding that the family "would like to thank his fans for their continuous love and loyalty and ask that their privacy be respected at this time."

Detroit police told BuzzFeed News the singer was found at midnight by a friend who went to check on him in his casino hotel room.

An attorney for Cornell's family, Kirk Pasich, said the singer had a prescription for Ativan and maybe have taken more than the recommended dosage. Ativan is a drug that's used to treat seizure disorders such as epilepsy. It can also be used after medical procedures to alleviate anxiety.

Pasich released a statement saying the family believes that if Cornell took his own life, drugs or other substances may have affected his decision and that he did not know what he was doing. Ativan, Pasich said, can cause paranoid or suicidal thoughts, slurred speech, and impaired judgement.

Cornell's wife released a statement saying that her husband was devoted to his family and that the two had discussed plans for Memorial Day weekend.

"When we spoke after the show, I noticed he was slurring his words; he was different," she said in a statement. "When he told me he may have taken an extra Ativan or two, I contacted security and asked that they check on him. What happened is inexplicable and I am hopeful that further medical reports will provide additional details."

