Chris Cornell given A-list funeral as Brad Pitt joins Dave Grohl and rock royalty to pay respects

The friends and family of Chris Cornell united with stars from across the arts, including actor Brad Pitt and Foo Fighter's rocker Dave Grohl, to pay their final respects to the singer at a private funeral service in Los Angeles.

Fans also gathered outside the Hollywood Forever Cemetery throughout the ceremony on Friday (26 May) in memory of the 90s grunge star, who sold 14.8 million albums throughout his career.

The 52-year-old front man of Soundgarden and Audioslave, Cornell was found dead in his Detroit hotel room on Wednesday (17 May), hours after performing in the city.

A medical examiner subsequently ruled on Thursday (25 May) that Cornell had hanged himself, but these claims were disputed by his widow Vicky Karayiannis, who suggested the star may have accidentally overdosed on anxiety medication Ativan.

The ruling came on the same day as a private cremation service, limited to close family, before top names in rock and entertainment paid tribute at the high-profile funeral for the interment of his ashes.

This too was overseen by Karayiannis, again joined by Cornell's children Toni and Christopher, as well as daughter Lillian from his previous marriage to Susan Silver.

Celebrity names in attendance alongside Pitt and Grohl included Pharrell Williams, Christian Bale, Josh Brolin and Courtney Love — who lost husband Kurt Cobain, lead singer of Nirvana, to suicide in 1994.

Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield of Metallica, and Dave Navarro of Jane's Addiction represented the heavy metal world.

Buried in the 'garden of legends'

The Daily Mail report that the star had his ashes interred at the cemetery's Garden of Legends, laid to rest next to Johnny Ramone, of the punk rock band the Ramones.

Eulogies were delivered by Brolin and the singer's former bandmates Kim Thayil, Tom Morello and Matt Cameron.

Friday's funeral programme featured a quote from the late singer: "We are neighbours in a modern world where proximity is relative and the threshold to our hearts moves outside time and space."