Chris Cornell. (Getty)
Tonight, Imagine Dragons will pay tribute to Chris Cornell at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards.
Rest In Peace Chris. you inspired us as well as millions of artists around the world.
Producers of the Billboard Music Awards announced the news Friday to The Associated Press, saying that Imagine Dragons would discuss Cornell’s impact on them before hitting the stage for a performance.
The Soundgarden frontman was found dead on Thursday morning in a hotel room in Detroit, Michigan. The death was ruled a suicide by authorities, but Cornell’s family has said that they believe Chris “did not know what he was doing” when he took his own life. In a press release, the family’s attorney, Kirk Pasich, said, “Chris, a recovering addict, had a prescription for Ativan and may have taken more Ativan than recommended dosages. 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.” At the time of the release, Pasich could not confirm if the medicine Cornell took was Ativan or the generic version of the medicine, lorazepam.
Soundgarden was scheduled to close out the first night of the Rock on the Range festival in Columbus on Friday. Bands who have performed at the event have been paying tribute to the late Cornell by playing his music. According to Billboard, Bush performed “Black Hole Sun”, Live did “I Am the Highway” and Stone Sour sang “Outshined.” Metallica also paid tribute to the singer on Friday at the Gilette Stadium in Massachusetts, saying “We forgive you, Chris” after their performance of the ballad “The Unforgiven.”
Tonight’s Billboard Music Awards will be hosted by Ludacris and Vanessa Hudgens. The awards will also be packed with A-list performers like Nicki Minaj, who’s opening with a 9 minute performance that features Lil Wayne, Jason Derulo, and David Guetta. The Chainsmokers plan on singing their hit single “Young”, and Halsey will do a rendition of “Now or Never” from her new album. According to People, a surprise collaboration of Florida Georgia Line and John Legend is also in store.
The 2017 Billboard Music Awards will air from 8-11 pm ET/5-8 pm PT on ABC.
