Kurt Cobain was an American singer, songwriter, artist, and musician who was famous for being the founder and frontman of the rock band “Nirvana”. Before he found success with his music, he seriously considered joining the US Navy. He is even reported to have met a recruitment officer to discuss his enrollment. He formed the band “Nirvana” in 1987 with Krist Novoselic and Aaron Burckhard and established it as part of the Seattle music scene which later became known as grunge. Before he started the group Nirvana, he had auditioned to join the popular rock band, Melvins. He had also claimed in his interviews that the first-ever concert he attended was of Melvins. He was hailed as the voice of his generation following Nirvana’s sudden success, he resented this, believing his message and artistic vision had been misinterpreted by the public. After signing with major label DGC Records, Nirvana found global success with “Smells Like Teen Spirit” from their critically acclaimed second album Nevermind (1991). Since then, he has written many other notable songs for Nirvana, including “Come as You Are”, “Lithium”, “In Bloom”, “Something in the Way”, “Heart-Shaped Box”, “All Apologies”, “About a Girl”, “Aneurysm” and “You Know You’re Right”. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, along with Nirvana bandmates Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl, in their first year of eligibility in 2014. In 2006, he was placed 20th by Hit Parader on their list of the “100 Greatest Metal Singers of All Time”. It was in 1989, his music band released their debut studio album, “Bleach”, under the Sub Pop record label. The album had mediocre commercial success but was well received by the critics. Since their debut, Nirvana has sold over 28 million albums in the United States alone, and over 75 million worldwide. He has appeared in the film “1991: The Year Punk Broke” as himself in 1992 which was his debut film. He made his first TV show appearance as himself on the talk show, “Tonight with Jonathan Ross” in 1990. His first punk rock album was “Sandinista!” by The Clash. He started developing an interest in music at a fairly young age. By the age of 2, he was singing and at the age of 4, he started playing the piano and even wrote a song about his trip to the local park. Sadly, he left this world on April 5, 1994, at the age of 27.
Kurt Cobain Death Cause
Kurt Cobain passed away on 5th April 1994 in Seattle, Washington, the USA. He dies at 27. On 8th April, his body was discovered at his Lake Washington Boulevard home by electrician Gary Smith. The Seattle Police Department incident report stated that Cobain was found with a shotgun across his body, had suffered a visible gunshot wound to the head. A suicide note was found, addressed to Cobain’s childhood imaginary friend Boddah, that stated that Cobain had not “felt the excitement of listening to as well as creating music, along with really writing … for too many years now”. A high concentration of heroin and traces of diazepam were also found in his body. Thus, it was confirmed that he had committed suicide. A final ceremony was arranged for Cobain, by his mother, on 31st May 1999, and was attended by both Love and Tracy Marander. As a Buddhist monk chanted, daughter Frances Bean scattered Cobain’s ashes into McLane Creek in Olympia, the city where he “had found his true artistic muse.”
Back on 1st March 1994, he was diagnosed with bronchitis and severe laryngitis during his tour in Munich, Germany. He flew to Rome the next day for medical treatment and was joined there by his wife, Courtney Love, on March 3, 1994. The next morning, Love awoke to find that Cobain had overdosed on a combination of champagne and Rohypnol. He was immediately rushed to the hospital and was unconscious for the rest of the day. After five days in the hospital, he was discharged and returned to Seattle. Courtney Love later stated that the incident was Cobain’s first suicide attempt. On 18th March 1994, Courtney phoned the Seattle police informing them that Cobain was suicidal and had locked himself in a room with a gun. Later, it was revealed that he was not suiciding but he locked himself in the room to hide from Love. Next, he arrived at the Exodus Recovery Center in LA on 30th March 1994. He spent the day talking to counselors about his drug abuse and personal problems, happily playing with his daughter Frances. On 2nd and 3rd April, he was spotted in numerous locations around Seattle. On 3rd April, Love contacted private investigator, Tom Grant and hired him to find Cobain. He was not seen the next day. On 7th April amid rumors of Nirvana breaking up, the band pulled out of the 1994 Lollapalooza Music Festival.
What is Kurt Cobain Known For?
- Being a singer-songwriter and musician.
- Being the frontman of the popular alternative band, Nirvana.
- For being a famous pop and cultural icon.
- For his music which is something adolescents could resonate with decades ago and can still do the same with modern teenagers.
Where did Cobain grow up?
Kurt Cobain was born with the real name of Kurt Donald Cobain on 20th February 1967. He was from Aberdeen, Washington, the USA where he grew up. He held American nationality and he belonged to Mixed ethnicity as his ethnic background was Dutch, English, French, German, Irish, and Scottish. He was born to his mother, Wendy Elizabeth (mother) who was a waitress, and his father, Donald Leland Cobain who was an automotive mechanic. Cobain was generally a happy childhood until his parents divorced when he was nine years old. For the last time, he celebrated his 27th birthday with his parents. On his 14th birthday on February 20, 1981, Cobain’s uncle offered him either a bike or a used guitar; Kurt chose the guitar. Soon, he was trying to play Led Zeppelin’s song “Stairway to Heaven”. He also learned how to play “Louie Louie”, Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust”, and the Cars’ “My Best Friend’s Girl”, before he began working on his own songs. Cobain played left-handed, despite being forced to write right-handed. His zodiac sign was Pisces. When it comes to his religious beliefs, he didn’t have clear religious views. Once, he identified as a born-again Christian. Later, he says that he hated Christianity. Then, he showed some interest in Jainism and Buddhism. He also had a sibling; a younger sister named Kimberly Cobain with whom he spent his early childhood. His family was a musical background as his maternal uncle, Chuck Fradenburg, played in a band called The Beachcombers; his aunt, Mari Earle, played guitar and performed in bands throughout Grays Harbor County; and his great-uncle, Delbert, had a career as an Irish tenor, making an appearance in the 1930 film King of Jazz. As a teenager, he moved between the homes of different relatives, stayed with friends’ parents, and sometimes slept under bridges as he started taking drugs and engaging in small vandalism as a form of teenage rebellion. was musically inclined from an early age, and in the mid-1980s he started playing with the members of the local “rock sludge” band Melphins (who would themselves continue to gain some national fame in the 1990s).
Focusing on his education, he attended Aberdeen High School. Later, he dropped out about two weeks before his graduation.
Source: @rollingstone
Kurt Cobain Career Timeline and Life Story
- Kurt Cobain, in 1985 formed a rock band entitled ‘Fecal Matter’ after dropping from high school. They spent several months rehearsing original material and covers, including songs by The Ramones, Led Zeppelin, and Jimi Hendrix. Later, in 1986, the band ‘Fecal Matter’ was disbanded.
- After that, he formed the band named ‘Nirvana’ which was taken from the Buddhist concept, which he described as “freedom from pain, suffering and the external world,” a concept that he aligned with the punk rock ethos and ideology. The band had Cobain as the lead vocalist and guitarist, Krist Novoselic as the bass guitarist, and Aaron Burckhard on the drums. The band recorded its first album “Bleach” via Sub Pop Records in 1989.
- Dave Grohl then replace Chad Channing and helped the band record their 1991 major-label debut, “Nevermind”.
- Nevermind’s lead single, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” made Nirvana quickly enter the mainstream, popularizing a subgenre of alternative rock called “grunge”.
- A vocal opponent of sexism, racism, and homophobia, he was publicly proud that Nirvana had played at a gay rights benefit, supporting No-on-Nine, in Oregon in 1992. The show was held in opposition to Ballot Measure Nine, a ballot measure, that if passed, would have directed schools to teach that homosexuality was “abnormal, wrong, unnatural and perverse”.
- During that time, he received death threats from a small number of anti-abortion activities for participating in the pro-choice campaign, with one activist threatening to shoot Cobain as soon as he stepped on a stage.
- After the incident, the members of Nirvana and fellow American alternative rock band Screaming Trees formed a side project known as the Jury in 1989.
- The band recorded four songs also performed by Lead Belly; “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?”, an instrumental version of “Grey Goose”, “Ain’t It a Shame” and “They Hung Him on a Cross”; the latter of which featured Cobain performing solo.
- Cobain and William S. Burroughs met shortly in Lawrence, Kansas, and produce “The “Priest” They Called Him”, a spoken word version of “The Junky’s Christmas”.
Source: @wallpaperflare
Kurt Cobain Married Life and Relationship Timeline
Kurt Cobain was a married man. For the first time, he fell in love with Tracy Marander. He then started his relationship and affair with her in 1985 which lasted till 1988. Then, he began dating Tobi Vail, who was a drummer with the punk band, Bikini Kill. They split in 1990 after two years of their relationship. Next, he dated Courtney Love in 1990 with whom he met in 1989. They got married in a low-key ceremony on Waikiki Beach in Hawaii in February 1992. The ceremony was witnessed by eight individuals, including his Nirvana bandmate Dave Grohl. The pair was also blessed with a daughter named Frances Bean Cobain in August 1992. In an interview with Vanity Fair, she revealed that she had taken drugs during her pregnancy as she wasn’t aware of being pregnant initially. The Los Angeles County Department of Children’s Services would later drag them to court alleging that their drug abuse made them unfit parents. After then, he had a short relationship with indie-folk musician and recording artist Mary Lou Lord in 1991 which was nothing more than a s*xual encounter. Later, he was rumored to have had an affair with Jane Crowley, who was a model and photographer. Regarding his sexuality, he was straight. Whereas in an interview given to The Advocate in 1993, he had said that he was “gay in spirit” and “probably could be bisexual”. But, he had also revealed that “I am not gay, although I wish I were, just to p**s off homophobes”.
Source: @hellomagazine
How much was Kurt Cobain Net Worth?
Kurt Cobain was a successful and renowned singer as well as a musician. He had made a huge name, fame, and fortune from his music career. He is widely recognized for being the guitarist, primary songwriter, and frontman of the rock band Nirvana. As of 2022, the net worth of Kurt Cobain is believed to have $50 Million. His main source of wealth is from the music industry through album sales, tours, concerts, tickets, and more. Details about his career earnings are still to get disclosed yet. He lived a luxurious lifestyle from the money he made. Cobain faced lots of struggles to cope with his fame and media attention due to his health problems at an early age due to which he lost his life.
How tall was Kurt Cobain?
Kurt Cobain, the legendary singer was a handsome man with a slim body type. He stood tall at the height of 5 feet 9 inches or 175 cm. His weight consisted of 63 KG or 139 lbs. He had dark brown hair whereas he often dyed his hair in different colors. His eye color was blue.
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