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Music News: Chris Cornell laid to rest in Los Angeles

Fans visit the grave of Chris Cornell at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Fans visit the grave of Chris Cornell at Hollywood Forever CemeteryFREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images

by Jay Gabler

May 29, 2017

The remains of Chris Cornell were laid to rest on Friday at a private ceremony in Los Angeles. Cornell's ashes were interred at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, next to the resting place of Johnny Ramone. Among those attending the funeral were Courtney Love, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, Perry Farrell, Nile Rodgers,
James Hetfield, Pharrell Williams, Brad Pitt, and Christian Bale.

Chester Bennington (Linkin Park) performed Leonard Cohen’s "Hallelujah" at the memorial. Among those delivering eulogies were Jeff Ament (Pearl Jam and Cornell's bandmates from Soundgarden and Audioslave. (Rolling Stone)

After the private service ended, fans poured in to pay their own respects. Rolling Stone reports that "a mountain of flowers, scattered guitar picks, prayer beads, beer bottles, votive candles, drawings and personal notes — 'Thank you, Chris' and 'Rock in Peace,' among them — quickly covered Cornell's headstone."

On Saturday night in Ireland, Guns N' Roses honored Cornell with a cover of Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun." (Pitchfork)

Grande, Gallagher plan Manchester benefit concerts

Ariana Grande, whose May 22 concert in Manchester was the target of a deadly terrorist attack, has announced that she will return to the northwest England city to perform a benefit concert at a future date to be determined. "I want to thank my fellow musicians and friends for reaching out to be part of our expression of love for Manchester," the pop star wrote in her first extended statement since the attacks. (New York Times)

Rapper Mac Miller, who is in a relationship with Grande, canceled planned weekend appearances at Minnesota's Soundset hip-hop festival and the Sasquatch Festival in Washington state. (Billboard)

Manchester native Liam Gallagher has also announced a benefit show — a concert that will also be notable as the first-ever U.K. solo show by the former Oasis member. The May 30 show will benefit the British Red Cross. Gallagher's solo album As You Were is due out in October, with lead single "Wall of Glass" expected to be released soon. (Rolling Stone)

Elvis's jet takes off (but not literally)

A jet formerly owned by Elvis Presley sold at auction on Saturday for $430,000. The 1962 Lockheed JetStar won't be returning to the skies anytime soon, though: it doesn't have an engine and has been sitting on a New Mexico runway for the past three decades. The GWS auction house claims the interior, with its red shag carpeting and gold-tone woodwork, was designed by the King himself — but that claim is in dispute, with former owner Roy McKay claiming to have given the interior its luxurious look. (Billboard)

Mark Zuckerberg thinks Beyoncés best song is "Halo"

On Thursday, Mark Zuckerberg spoke at Harvard University's commencement. Like previous commencement speaker Bill Gates, Zuckerberg started at Harvard before dropping out to run a wildly successful tech company (in Zuckerberg's case, Facebook). Zuckerberg's speech made music headlines when he mentioned Beyoncé as an example of the value of persistence. "Even Beyoncé had to make hundreds of songs to get 'Halo,'" said Zuckerberg. (Rolling Stone)

The Bey Hive grumbled, with many commenters referencing speculation about a Zuckerberg presidential run.

Foos carry on after curfew

The BottleRock Napa Valley Music Festival has a very strict 10 p.m. curfew, imposed after neighbors complained about the noise in 2013. The plug gets pulled at the stroke of 10, no matter what. The Cure had the sound cut on them in 2014, and on Sunday, at this year's festival, Foo Fighters had to enlist the crowd's help to finish "Everlong" when 10:00 came. The crowd loved it. (Consequence of Sound)