At last night’s Rock And Roll Hall of Fame Ceremony, Jerry Cantrell of Alice In Chains joined Ann Wilson of Heart to pay tribute to their late friend and Seattle brethren Chris Cornell. Cornell passed away on May 18th, 2017. Watch a video of them covering Soundgarden classic ‘Black Hole Sun’.

Cantrell commented backstage to the press about Cornell and the performance.

“Chris was a friend for many years and an incredible artist, a wonderful human being. And I’ve always been inspired by his work ethic and talent, and his band, SOUNDGARDEN, they were a big influence on us. It’s obviously very sad. I still don’t really know how to really discuss it personally, but I think at this point it’s time to maybe focus on the type of man that he was and the type of human being and the type of artist. [He had] incredible depth. Our bands helped each other in the early days. We were all under the same roof, with Susan Silver managing them, Kelly Curtis managing MOTHER LOVE BONE and then PEARL JAM, and they jointly managed us. We were all in the same little office above the central tavern, and that was home base. I’m gonna miss him immensely, but I also celebrate his life and his life’s work.”

“Ann called me and said she was thinking about doing something for our friend, and asked me if I would join her. And anytime she calls, I’m there. And if it’s for Chris, of course, absolutely.”

The Rock Hall ceremony debut broadcast will air May 5 on HBO at 8:00 p.m.