BLABBERMOUTH.NET

The Chris Cornell statue at Seattle's Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) has been vandalized. Late Thursday night (August 20), Seattle station KIRO 7 News posted a photo of the statue of the SOUNDGARDEN frontman after it was painted white. Earlier today, Chris Cornell's widow Vicky released a statement about the statue's defacing via the late singer's social media. She wrote: "My children and I are heartbroken to learn of the vandalization of Chris's statue at the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle. The statue is not only a work of art but a tribute to Chris, his incomparable musical legacy and everything that he stood for. It represents Chris, who is beloved not only in Seattle, but worldwide. "In the face of this hate and destruction, we are thankful once again to the fans who stood up to support him and showed such immense love," she continued. "It lifted our hearts to hear that fans brought supplies and attempted to clean up the heartbreaking vandalism. The statue will be restored. Hate will not win." The life-size statue, commissioned and donated to the museum by Vicky Cornell, stands outside MoPOP's south entrance facing Fifth Avenue North. The statue sculpted by artist Nick Marras showcases the rock legend in one of his iconic poses with his signature boots, dog tag, layers and long locks. SOUNDGARDEN's surviving members — Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron and Ben Shepherd — attended the October 2018 unveiling ceremony with Vicky, Chris's three children and other longtime friends and family members from the Seattle community. In a November 2018 interview with Kerrang! magazine, Thayil said that the unveiling of the Cornell statue was both "surreal" and a "source of great pride." He added: "It was awkward too, because there was a certain aspect of it that was a show, so it was a public event. Matt, Ben and I were onstage to some degree, which made us a bit uncomfortable. We, Chris included, were the guys who'd never turn up at the big events and parties, though we were always invited." Cornell was pronounced dead on May 18, 2017 after being found unresponsive in his Detroit hotel room. SOUNDGARDEN had played a show earlier that evening. The 52-year-old had sedatives and an anxiety drug in his system, but died as a result of hanging himself.