ABC/Randy HolmesThe first TV interview with Vicky Cornell, Chris Cornell‘s widow, since her husband’s 2017 suicide will air on ABC’s Good Morning America this Wednesday, February 21.
In a preview clip of the interview, Vicky maintains that the Soundgarden frontman, who battled addiction throughout his life, was not in his right mind when he took his own life the early morning of May 18 due to a relapse in drug use.
“My husband was the furthest thing from a rock star junkie. He just wasn’t,” Vicky says. “He was the best husband, the greatest father. I lost my soulmate and the love of my life. He wanted to be there for his family, for his children. He loved his life. He would never have ever left this world.”
She adds that she doesn’t think Chris “could make any decisions” at the time of his death “because of the level of impairment.”
Since Chris’ death, Vicky says she’s reexamined her own views of addiction, and feels that she should’ve seen “signs” in her husband’s behavior.
“I know that people say, ‘You can’t blame yourself,’ and I’m trying not to,” Vicky says. “But there were signs.”
“People think that addiction is, like, ‘Oh, you were an addict,’ and people don’t recognize it as a disease,” she adds. “I feel guilty of the same thing. You think addiction is a choice, and it’s not.”
The full interview will premiere on Wednesday’s Good Morning America, airing at 7 a.m. ET on ABC.
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