Food & Culture
Brad Pitt Takes Chris Cornell’s Kids to Universal Studios
The Hollywood A-lister is reportedly a longtime fan and friend of the singer.
By Michael Rietmulder June 2, 2017

Not surprisingly for one of modern rock’s most singular voices, Chris Cornell had some famous pals. The guest book from his funeral service, held last month at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, reads like a seating chart for the Grammys and Oscars combined: Christian Bale, Dave Grohl, James Franco, the Metallica guys, Brad Pitt, to name a few.
Apparently, the latter doubles as a pretty cool playdate (maybe don’t ask Angelina). This week the Fight Club star was spotted taking two of Cornell’s children to Universal Studios. Photos surfaced yesterday of Pitt and the preteen Cornells toting wands and butterbeer mugs from the L.A. theme park’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter—you know, normal kid stuff, but with Benjamin Button and his bodyguards.
Pitt’s Cornell fandom and friendship reportedly goes back years. “I’m a big Chris Cornell addict, anything he does,” the actor told Cinema Confidential in 2004.
While Seattle and the music industry have publicly mourned the Soundgarden frontman’s death following a May 18 concert in Detroit, it’s undoubtedly a tough time for Cornell’s family. Last week his wife, Vicky, wrote a heartbreaking open letter to her late husband, vowing to “stand up for” him and “take care of our beautiful babies.” Cornell also has a third child from a previous marriage.
Vicky has vehemently questioned the conclusion from the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office that Cornell’s death was a suicide by hanging. On Thursday, the family’s attorney released a statement saying the family “remains mystified that the medical examiner announced a cause of death when the full autopsy report has not been completed.”