It’s a tough time to be a statue in America these days.
Late last week the life-size bronze statue immortalizing late grunge rocker and hometown musical hero Chris Cornell which has sat outside Seattle’s Museum Of Pop Culture since October 2018 was vandalized with white paint.
A statement shared by Chris’ widow Vicki Cornell confirmed the mistreatment of the statue in a lengthy post to the rocker’s still-active Instagram on Saturday. The statement reads,
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.
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. Chris is Seattle’s Son!
Related: Forthcoming Chris Cornell Documentary To Be Directed By Pete Berg, Produced By Brad Pitt
An image shared by local media outlet KIRO 7 News on Friday shows the statue of Cornell covered in white paint over much of the guitar, shirt, and face areas.
Various statues across the country have been a topic of intense debate since the start of the year. The placement and existence of numerous political or military-inspired busts of well-known figures have come under fire as major American cities like Seattle continue to be ravaged by civil unrest, which often has led to riots, arson, and destruction of private property. On the more peaceful front, music fans in Tennessee petitioned earlier this year for a statue of beloved country singer Dolly Parton to replace that of an existing bust portraying former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard Nathan Bedford Forrest from the State House.
[H/T JamBands]