Read the touching Father's Day letters Chris Cornell's family wrote for him

"Whenever I cry or feel like there’s no way I can go on, I hear your voice."

Published June 20, 2017 6:45PM (EDT)

Chris Cornell (AP/Casey Curry)
Chris Cornell (AP/Casey Curry)

Chris Cornell's life continues to flourish through the memories of his family.

On Monday, the late Soundgarden and Audioslave singer's wife Vicky and daughters Toni and Lillian Jean dedicated touching letters to him. The letters, posted to Cornell's Facebook page in observance of Father's Day, spotlight the admiration his family continues to hold for the late rock star.

“Let me start by saying how much I love you and how much you mean to me,” starts Toni's letter. "You are my idol, someone I’ve always looked up to. You were always there for me. You pushed me forward every day, and you still do."

"Whenever I cry or feel like there’s no way I can go on, I hear your voice, 'Don’t sit worrying peanut. Worry is a waste of time, I’m ok,'" she continues. "I always took what you said to heart. Probably because everything you said was so smart."

"Our special connection was always the arts. Poems, books, music writing. We both have a unconditional love for it,” says Toni as she describes a memory of her father suggesting they watch the film 'Purple Rain.' "Who’s going to introduce me to movies like 'Purple Rain' and songs like 'The Beautiful Ones' now? I’m hoping I will find some because you trained me so well."

Toni finishes her letter saying, "I love you and miss you so, Daddy. You deserve your own day to be celebrated because you are the best dad anyone could ever have. Happy Father’s Day!"

In a separate post, Lillian Jean's words to her father are accompanied by a small photo collage of the times they spent together. "You always had such firm confidence and pride in what I did, and your warmth and love inspired me to do my best," she adds. "Now more than ever, I want to live my life to help others as you did. I want to continue to make you proud."

Vicky, Cornell's wife of 13 years, also shared a small post to her late husband. "You gave with all your heart and it makes the void so much more painful," she says. "We don't know how to be without you. I'm trying though for you and for our beautiful children. We love you most!"

In a recently released toxicology report, medical examiners found several prescription drugs in Cornell's system at the time of his death. The report cites a mix of Naloxone (Narcan), Butalbital, Pseudoephedrine and Lorazepam, a prescription sedative.

 


By Alessandra Maldonado

Alessandra Maldonado is an editorial intern at Salon. You can find her on Twitter at @alessamberr

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