THE PRETTY RECKLESS Frontwoman Vows To Return Following Losses Of CHRIS CORNELL And Producer KATO KHANDWALA

THE PRETTY RECKLESS frontwoman Taylor Momsen has paid tribute to Chris Cornell, nearly one year after the SOUNDGARDEN singer's shocking death.

Cornell was found hanged in a Detroit hotel room last May 18 after a SOUNDGARDEN concert earlier that night.

Momsen, whose band THE PRETTY RECKLESS was the opening act for SOUNDGARDEN's spring 2017 run of dates, took to her Instagram account on Thursday (May 10) to reflect back to one of the first days of the tour. She wrote: "A year ago today was a day I will never forget. I was sitting outside our dressing room in Indianapolis, when I heard someone say, 'Taylor?' I looked up to see a man standing there, with the sun blazing behind him. He looked familiar... and then my heart dropped, because it was Chris Cornell. I'd met him a couple times before in passing, but here he was, actually talking to me. We hung out for a while chatting about things like singing and their record 'King Animal' and how much I loved it. Later that night, after we played our show opening for them, we were watching their set from behind the stage when he started talking into the mic, and my heart dropped again when I heard him say our band's name...twice. He dedicated 'By Crooked Steps' to us and we all were as happy as we could ever be. It was magical."

Taylor went on to say that THE PRETTY RECKLESS's longtime producer Kato Khandwala, who died last month from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident, "was with us that night [in Indianapolis] sharing the experience."

Despite the tragic deaths of her collaborator and her musical idol, Momsen said that THE PRETTY RECKLESS will carry on.

"We have lost so much this year and it has put our passion for music to the test, but as humans, we are all built to handle this pain" she said. "It will make us stronger, and we will return, because the music will always live on."

Chris was found hanged in his room at the MGM Grand Detroit hotel. His body was found soon after he had spoken with a "slurred" voice to his wife, Vicky, by phone. The death was ruled a suicide.

But his family has questioned the medical examiner's ruling, saying that he had a prescription for Ativan and that a higher than recommended dosage may have caused him to experience suicidal thoughts.