Mike McCready played an unreleased song titled “Crying Moon” at a July 29 show in Seattle with his side band The Rockfords. The Pearl Jam guitarist shared he wrote the song in tribute to late Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell.

McCready shared the performance via Facebook. He wrote, in part, “‘Crying Moon’ is part of my process in dealing with his death. Chris opened up my world to new heights when he let me play on ‘Temple Of The Dog.’ … I love and miss him.”

This is a song I wrote as a goodbye to my friend Chris Cornell. Crying Moon is part of my process in dealing with his death. Chris opened up my world to new heights when he let me play on Temple Of The Dog. When he agreed to sing on Mad Season as part of the Sonic Evolution show with the Seattle Symphony, I literally jumped for joy! The Temple Of The Dog reunion at that show inspired us to tour, which was amazing. Playing War Pigs live with Chris was a dream. I love and miss him…

Posted by Mike McCready on Tuesday, August 1, 2023

 

Additionally, McCready said in the clip above before performing “Crying Moon,” “A lot of the singers have died in this scene. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. I get the drug aspect of it, but it’s such a horrible cliche.”

Cornell died on May 18, 2017 following a Soundgarden show in Detroit. The beloved singer was 52. His absence in the music world continues to be felt, and his immense talent is so missed. Below is just a selection of notable covers Cornell performed over the years. As the title states, he really could sing anything. Keep scrolling to revisit just some of the magic Cornell gave fans during his career.

Chris Cornell: 9 Times He Reminded Us He Could Sing Anything

In death, it’s easy to elevate an entertainer’s talent or importance. But in the case of Chris Cornell, even before his shocking death in 2017, he was already considered one of the greatest voices in rock history.

From Soundgarden to Audioslave to his solo work, his vocals never failed to move a room. He could sing anything. Literally anything. Genre be damned!

In honor of his life, extraordinary career and remarkable voice, we gathered nine of our favorite Cornell cover songs he either recorded or performed live.

Spoiler: You’ll never hear “Ave Maria” the same way ever again.