Chris Cornell’s widow Vicky Cornell has reacted to Soundgarden fans who dislike her comparing her to Yoko Ono, John Lennon’s widow, online. Ono has been blamed for The Beatles’ breakup over the years, while a group of Soundgarden fans are upset over Vicky’s legal battle with Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron, and Ben Shepherd over the band’s unheard final album.
Keep in mind these are translated quotes, so the verbiage is not exactly correct. Rolling Stone Italy asked, “Vicky, how do you feel when someone calls you Soundgarden’s Yoko Ono?”
Vicky responded, “(Laughs, takes it well) On the internet I read about everything. Considering the depth of a character like Yoko, I feel almost honored. Even if my artistic skills are close to zero.
You know, if we often read that some artists are worth more dead than alive, it is also true that for fans or collaborators of an artist, it is also necessary to have a widow against whom to vent their pain. Almost as if it represented something cathartic to which to mourn. The fact that [I] wasn’t Chris’ first wife just amplified it all.
I would very much like to be told how to behave, because for three years I have been living in a situation where everything I do is read in the worst possible way. You are committed to carrying on your husband’s memory and you are a jackal. You don’t, and you want to deprive the world of its music.”
Back in May, Chris Cornell’s widow Vicky, through her lawyer Marty Singer, accused surviving Soundgarden members Matt Cameron, Kim Thayil, and Ben Shepherd of liking ‘defamatory’ social media posts and allegations.
According to TMZ, social media allegations against Vicky mentioned in the legal letter include the false claim that she operated a brothel and ‘pimped out’ her teenage daughter. Singer also claimed the band have enlisted ‘cyber stalkers and trolls’ for a ‘hate’ campaign, as they seek vocal files recorded by Chris Cornell to complete Soundgarden’s final album.
Singer wrote, “Shame on you and shame on your clients [who] have made millions of dollars off of Chris Cornell’s hard work and talent.”
