Zack de la Rocha left Rage Against the Machine in October 2000, putting the future of the band in question. Rumors quickly spread that Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell would replace de la Rocha, and in May 2001, Cornell joined the remaining members of Rage in the studio. The collaboration resulted in a strong musical bond, leading to a year of writing and recording. By spring 2002, the group no longer used the Rage Against the Machine name and participated in Ozzfest. However, before the tour began, Cornell left the project temporarily due to diverging creative directions. After his brief absence, Cornell returned, and the band chose the name Audioslave. Their debut album, including the hit single ‘Cochise,’ was released in November 2002 and achieved multi-platinum status. The band followed up with the album ‘Out of Exile’ in May 2005, which debuted at number one on Billboard. They made history with a performance in Havana, Cuba, and continued their success with platinum-selling singles like ‘Be Yourself’ and ‘Doesn’t Remind Me.’ In September 2006, they released ‘Revelations,’ their third album, which was completed in just five weeks. However, in 2007, shortly after Rage announced a reunion, Cornell departed from Audioslave over personal and musical differences. Sadly, Cornell passed away in May 2017 at the age of 52.