He's lost and baffled and in shock. Much like all of us. And the way this thread has gone is what drove him away from here (from what I have interpreted).

some great thoughts here. i haven't spent much time here in recent years but i knew i could come around for some group therapy. this fucking sucks and it's going to be some time before any of us get over it i expect.

True. I usually think of this site as a cynical cesspit, but yesterday I had to come back and seek some solace.

Chris Cornell’s family has issued a statement questioning the coroner’s report that the singer intentionally took his own life on Thursday.

“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 Cornell family said.

The 52 year-old Soundgarden frontman had a prescription for Ativan, the family said, and may have taken a higher dosage. Attorney Kirk Pasich noted that Ativan can cause paranoid or suicidal thoughts, slurred speech and impaired judgement.

Ativan is a tranquilizer and anti-anxiety medication that is sometimes used as a sleeping aid.

Vicky Cornell, the singer’s wife, added, “Chris’s death is a loss that escapes words and has created an emptiness in my heart that will never be filled. As everyone who knew him commented, Chris was a devoted father and husband.”

She said Cornell flew home from Soundgarden’s tour the weekend before to spend time with his wife and children, before returning to the mid-west.

Cornell was found dead in his hotel bathroom early Thursday in Detroit. Soundgarden had played a show just hours before at the Fox Theater.

His death was ruled a suicide by hanging by the local medical examiner, but Cornell’s family called the mentions of suicide “disturbing.”

“When we spoke after the show, I noticed he was slurring his words; he was different,” his wife added. “When he told me he may have taken an extra Ativan or two, I contacted security and asked that they check on him.”

She added: “What happened is inexplicable and I am hopeful that further medical reports will provide additional details. I know that he loved our children and he would not hurt them by intentionally taking his own life. The outpouring of love and support from his fans, friends and family means so much more to us than anyone can know. Thank you for that, and for understanding how difficult this is for us.”

Still even with a slight overdose of Ativan I can't imagine how one can make such a wild choice and kill themselves. Side effects don't work like that.

What is happening

I don't know Strat. In my late teen years I had some crazy family shit that I won't elaborate on that blew up my fucking world. Admittedly it sent me into a whirlwind of depression. I did seek some help for via both a therapist and a psychiatrist over several months was introduced to a few different medications including Wellbutrin. After about two weeks of taking Wellbutrin one day I started having extremely disturbing thoughts and urges that were that were basically telling me to kill myself and it scared the shit out of me. I recognized these thoughts as not in line with my normal train of thought and immediately refused to take them. Not saying the two situations are the same but just that I based on personal experiences, it is plausible.

Still even with a slight overdose of Ativan I can't imagine how one can make such a wild choice and kill themselves. Side effects don't work like that.

What is happening

I have to disagree with you. my ex's step father had injured his back years ago and never completely recovered from it. I knew him for over 20 years. He's a great father and a quite happy person in general. he went to a new doctor for his back at some point and was given a different pain killer than previously. After less than a week, he was calling his wife from work telling her he was angry, upset and ready to die. He started screaming at her over the phone that he felt like he wanted to kill himself and didn't understand why he wanted to do this... needless to say, she talked him into coming home and they went directly to the doctor who took him off the medication. It took him another week or so if i remember correctly to start feeling better but in telling us about it, he was totally convinced while it was happening that the only possible solution was dying.
i don't think it possible to realistically determine how a drug will affect a specific metabolism, and it's stuck with me for over 10 years how intensely he described what happened to him.

Why was a recovering drug addict being prescribed a controlled substance to 'help him sleep'?