Photo: WireImage
Chris Cornell would have turned 58 today (July 20), and to celebrate his birthday Chris' widow Vicky and daughter Toni shared emotional messages on Instagram along with a sweet home video of the late Soundgarden frontman playing guitar and singing with a young Toni and her brother Christopher.
"On your 58th birthday, we remember you. We remember all the things you are. We remember all the things you will always be. We remember the moments that are engrained [sic] in us. The memories of a lifetime that so many will never have," Vicky began her message. "We are grateful for those moments. Your love, dedication and devotion, your energy, your passion, your brilliance… they all defy gravity and time because no matter how many years go by… it will still feel like this was just yesterday. That’s not to say each day isn’t a struggle – every second, every minute, every hour, every single day – we miss you. We crave your presence, love, singing, hugs, kisses- all of it."
"I don’t want to live without you – so I continue to make sure your memory lives with us and through us – and by default we live through you. You are never far away – we feel you," she continued. "All the things everybody knows of you – all your fans, if they only knew the private side, the husband the father and just the man…. We were/are the luckiest …. Happy Birthday - I love you more than anyone has loved anyone in the history of loving ….."
"'Nothing Compares 2 U' is not just a song. It’s what I truly think when I look back at our life and memories together. You were always playing music for us, singing with us, dancing with us," Toni wrote. Losing you was one of the hardest things we had to go through. They say it gets easier with time, but as the days and years go by, and since we last saw you, we are missing you even more."
"Today, on your birthday, I think so so many join me in saying we miss you the MOST!!! The world would not be the same without you in it, and will never be the same with you gone," she added. "You wrote the soundtrack to not just our lives, but for millions, and we will forever hear it. We feel you with us as your words, love and all of the memories shaped our world, made us who we are and are forever ingrained in the fabric of our souls. On your birthday and every other day, we celebrate you and remember how very lucky we were that you were ours. Happy Birthday to the greatest dad and most incredible human whose life continues to leave an incredible mark on everyone he touches. I love you, we love you"
See both posts below, but maybe grab a tissue first. You're gonna need it.