Today, July 20th, marks what would have been Chris Cornell’s birthday. A towering figure in rock music, Cornell left behind a legacy that continues to echo through generations. On this poignant day, his former Audioslave bandmate and close friend, Tom Morello, shared a moving poetic tribute — one he originally penned on the day Cornell passed away in 2017.

Morello’s words serve not only as a eulogy, but as a window into the soul of a man whose voice stirred millions, and whose absence continues to leave a hollow echo in the world of music.

Tom Morello’s Tribute to Chris Cornell

You’re a prince, you’re a snare, you’re a shadow
You’re twilight and star burn and shade
You’re a sage, you’re a wound shared, you’re masked
You’re a pillar of smoke, you’re a platinum heart
You’re a brush fire, you’re caged, you’re free
Your vision pierces, you do not see.

You are pieces strewn on the hillside
You’re open armed, you’re armed, you’re true
You’re a revealer of visions, you’re the passenger,
You’re a never-fading scar.

You’re twilight and star burn and shade
You’re the secret veiled, you’re the secret revealed
You’re surrounded no more
You’re not there, now you’re always here
You’re a handsome groom, a loving father, a haunted stairwell
You’re the clear bell ringing, the mountains echo your song
Maybe no one has ever known you
You are twilight and star burn and shade.

A Legacy That Transcends Time

Chris Cornell’s voice could crack the sky, yet his lyrics often whispered of pain, beauty, and truth. Morello’s tribute speaks to that duality — Cornell as both flame and shadow, fighter and ghost.

In bands like Soundgarden, Audioslave, and Temple of the Dog, Cornell’s impact was seismic. But to those who knew him personally, like Morello, his legacy is more intimate: a father, a friend, a man of staggering depth.

As fans around the world celebrate what would have been his 61st birthday, this tribute reminds us that Cornell’s spirit lives on — in song, in memory, and in every quiet place where twilight meets flame.