Images from Chris Cornell’s last photoshoot are set to be minted and auctioned off as a pair of non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
The portraits were taken by Randall Slavin just before the Soundgarden frontman’s untimely passing in 2017. Instead of publishing them, the photographer has held onto the photos until now, and is only turning them into NFTs with the permission of the late rocker’s wife, Vicky Cornell.
Titled “Until We Disappear” and “White Roses for My Soul to Keep,” the two cryptographs are slated to be auctioned off tomorrow (August 5th) at 12:00 p.m. ET. “Disappear” is a moving image of Cornell against a background of clouds, while “My Soul” is a video flip-book of every frame Slavin shot of the singer during the shoot. You can check out previews of both, as well as a trailer for the auction, at Rolling Stone.
Related Video
A percentage of the sales will be donated to the Phoenix House, a drug and alcohol rehab-based nonprofit organization that operates programs in 10 states across the country and a cause close to Cornell’s heart.
“Randall is like family,” Cornell’s widow said in a statement. “I’m so grateful that Chris’s last photoshoot was captured by not only an amazing photographer but a true friend. Phoenix House continues to do such crucial work especially during these times.”
The photographer added, “Chris was a powerful, beautiful person and someone I was fortunate to work [with] and I’m very excited to immortalize these images as an NFT.”
Following a three-year court battle, May saw Cornell’s family finally settle the lawsuit with the doctor who had prescribed him anti-anxiety drugs and opioids in the months leading up to his suicide. Two months later, to mark what would have been Cornell’s 57th birthday, his eldest daughter Lily held a wide-ranging chat with her mother, Susan Silver, on mental health and addiction for the final episode of her IGTV series Mind Wide Open.
