Chris Cornell, Dave Grohl Donate Items to Unique Addiction Recovery Fund
Chris Cornell, Elton John, Dave Grohl, Iggy Pop and former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic are among the high-profile musicians who donated personal items used to create a unique line of timepieces, the Rock LTD Collection, The Hollywood Reporter notes. Cornell – who died by suicide at age 52 in May, contributed a guitar strap to the new watch line, which benefits the Recording Academy’s MusiCares MAP Fund, dedicated to addiction recovery treatment.
“Addiction is a disease, and we lose far too many loved ones to the illness each day,” the Soundgarden frontman’s widow, Vicky Cornell, said in a statement. “MusiCares is a crucial organization and the MusiCares MAP Fund 100 percent supports the music community in its fight to protect those battling this affliction.”
This year’s Rock LTD Collection, set to launch before the holidays, will include between 25 and 30 pieces priced from $1,200 to $1,800. The one exception is the Cornell piece, which will tour Nixon locations in New York, London and Paris in spring 2018 before being auctioned at a May 2018 MusiCares benefit.
Cornell, a longtime MusiCares contributor, was honored with the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award at the 2007 MusiCares MAP Fund benefit concerts. Nixon CEO Chad DiNenna told THR that Cornell signed on to donate his guitar strap prior to his death. “This is what he would want,” DiNenna said, noting that he consulted the singer’s family on plans for the project.
The 2017 Rock LTD line is Nixon’s seventh since launching in 2005. According to THR, the new collection includes John, a Sentry Chrono created from a “donated leather paisley-patterned belt”; Grohl, a Sentry constructed from a “donated plaid flannel shirt”; Novoselic, a Sentry utilizing a “donated Sound City denim jacket”; and Pop, a Sentry built from a “donated leather chain wallet and belt.”
Each of the hand-numbered watches will include a certificate of authenticity and be housed in a custom, etched case featuring the artist’s name. The pieces will be available at several global retailers – including Ron Robinson, Sun Diego and Toront’s Got Style – and Nixon’s flagship locations around the world.
In August, Vicky Cornell solicited fan messages for her late husband to post on his official website. “You have given us hope and strength to endure the pain of these very dark days,” she tweeted in her announcement of the project.
Earlier in the summer, Seattle-based nonprofit Childhaven established the Chris Cornell Music Therapy Program, with Vicky Cornell pledging $100,000 as part of the mission to help children and families overcome the effects of trauma.