Vicky Karayiannis is an American publicist born on August 13 in the United States. She is the daughter of Toni Karayiannis and has a brother, Nicholas Karayiannis, who works as an executive at a restaurant in New York. Vicky's professional background led her to work as a publicist based in Paris, where she later met her future husband.
Vicky Karayiannis met renowned musician Chris Cornell, the lead vocalist of the bands Soundgarden and Audioslave, during his European tour. The couple married in Paris in 2004. They had one daughter together, Toni, born in 2004. Although there are public misconceptions, Lilian Jean is actually Chris Cornell’s daughter from a previous marriage, and their son, Christopher Nicholas Cornell, was born in 2005.
In the years leading up to his death, Chris Cornell reportedly struggled with mental health issues and substance use. Vicky Karayiannis later stated that the prescription drug benzodiazepine significantly affected her husband’s behavior. On May 17, 2017, Chris Cornell was found deceased in his Detroit hotel room. According to the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office, the official cause of death was suicide by hanging.
Following her husband’s passing, Vicky Karayiannis voiced concerns about the prescription practices of Cornell’s physician, questioning the decision to prescribe psychoactive medications after he suffered a shoulder injury. In November 2018, she began seeking legal accountability for what she believes was a contributing factor in his death.
In honor of her late husband, she established the Chris & Vicky Cornell Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to protecting vulnerable children from abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Through her advocacy and philanthropic work, Karayiannis continues to raise awareness about the impact of mental health and prescription drug use, while promoting child protection initiatives.
