The bronze Chris Cornell statue outside of the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) in Seattle has been vandalized.
Seattle station KIRO 7 News showed a photo of the statue of the Soundgarden singer, which was painted white, on Facebook yesterday.
This is what the Chris Cornell statue looks like in front of Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture. Somebody apparently vandalized the statue of the late Soundgarden frontman by painting it white.
Posted by KIRO 7 News on Thursday, August 20, 2020
On Friday evening, a tweet from Chris Cornell’s official account run by his wife Vicky responded to the statue’s defacing by issuing a statement.
“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,” the statement began.
“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. 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,” it continued.
The statue was erected as a memorial to the late singer in 2018. On Friday, the statue was restored but blocked off.
You can read the full statement below and watch a video from the initial statue dedication.
