Chris Cornell‘s widow, Vicky, shared an emotional throwback video of her late husband enjoying a sweet moment with their daughter, Toni, to mark Toni’s 21st birthday.
In the video, posted Thursday, September 18, via Instagram, Cornell can be seen strumming a guitar as he and a young Toni sing along to “Love the Way You Lie” by Eminem and Rihanna.
In the caption, Vicky, 46, honored Toni and reflected on her late husband, who died by suicide in May 2017.
“21 years went by in a flash…. Thank you for choosing me to be your mommy — it’s the greatest gift I’ve ever been given. I feel so blessed and endlessly grateful for everything you’ve brought into my life,” Vicky wrote.
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“You were the most incredible little girl, and you’ve grown into the most incredible young woman. Your heart is rare — full of love, strength, compassion and resilience,” she added. “I know it hasn’t been easy. Life threw you a heartbreaking curveball — a loss that no one should have to carry. But even through that, you’ve continued to grow, to love, and to shine. I’m so proud of you — and I know your daddy is too.”
Vicky went on to share a memory about her late husband, writing, “From the very first moment he saw you on that ultrasound and heard, ‘It’s a girl!’ — you were his Baby Toni. That bond was something special, and even though he’s not physically here, I know he’s watching you, guiding you and beaming with pride every single day.”
“This is the beginning of a whole new chapter in your life, and I couldn’t be more excited to watch you step into it. I love you. I adore you. You have been my strength, my reason and my greatest joy,” Vicky wrote, concluding the post, “Happy 21st, to our beautiful girl 
.”
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Toni and Cornell shared a love of music, with Toni first gaining public attention when she performed a duet of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” with her dad in 2015. Vicky performed the song again in 2019 at a tribute concert for her father, this time singing with Marley’s eldest son, Ziggy Marley.
Cornell, the lead singer of rock bands Audioslave and Soundgarden, was found dead inside a hotel bathroom in May 2017 in Detroit after performing a show with Soundgarden earlier in the evening. His death was ruled a suicide.
Cornell is survived by his widow, Vicky, and their two children, Toni and Christopher, 19. He also shared a daughter, Lilian Jean, with his first wife, Susan Silver.
