CHRIS CORNELL Pays Tribute To WHITNEY HOUSTON At Fundraiser For PRESIDENT OBAMA (Video)

SOUNDGARDEN/ex-AUDOSLAVE singer Chris Cornell paid tribute to late pop superstar Whitney Houston by performing a very special vcover version of "I Will Always Love You" during his appearance last night (Thursday, February 16) at a benefit show in San Francisco to help raise funds for President Barack Obama's re-election campaign. During his set, Cornell also played "Redemption Song" (BOB MARLEY),"Ground Zero", "Wide Awake" (AUDIOSLAVE),"Imagine" (JOHN LENNON) and "Peace, Love, and Understanding" (NICK LOWE).

Fan-filmed video footage of Cornell's "I Will Always Love You" performance can be seen below.

Tickets ran $100 for general seating, $1,000 for preferred seating, and $7,500 for a package that included preferred seating and an individual photo with the President. More people could be added to the photo for $2,500 per head.

SOUNDGARDEN just finished playing Australia as one of the performens on the Big Day Out festival tour.

SOUNDGARDEN has been recording its long-awaited follow-up to 1996's "Down On The Upside" since last spring, with tentative plans to release the album sometime this year. The band has booked several European festival dates for the summer.