The Life and Death of Kurt Cobain

As the month of April rolls around once more, fans of iconic grunge band Nirvana fix their minds firmly on Kurt Cobain. The lead singer of Nirvana was found dead in his home on April 8, 1994 and ever since that fateful day, many have questioned whether the official verdict of suicide was a matter of solid fact or an elaborate cover for murder. With the anniversary of Cobain's death approaching, let's take a look at the life and death of the man himself and at some of the conspiracy theories surrounding the untimely end of his young life.

Early life

Born Kurt Donald Cobain on February 20, 1967, the Nirvana front man showed signs of creativity from an early age. He was a talented artist and musician even as a child, learning piano and playing the drums. He was given his first guitar by his Aunt Mari, and even recorded some songs at her home. Although his early childhood was relatively normal, the divorce of his parents had an adverse effect on Cobain's previously jovial nature. He became withdrawn and began getting into trouble at school, and later with the police for spray painting pickup trucks. It was only through his music and his art that Cobain began to find himself. However, talented as he was, he couldn't possibly have predicted what his life would eventually become.

Nirvana

The band members of Nirvana changed several times in their early years. From the time they played their first gig at a house party in 1987 to the time they made it big in 1991, they changed drummers and guitar players frequently. Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic were the founders of the band, and as such were the only original band members to stay with Nirvana until the end. Dave Grohl completed the band's final line-up.

The first Nirvana album "Bleach" was released in 1989 but it wasn't until they signed to a major record label in 1991 that they began to get taken more seriously. With the release of their second album, "Nevermind" and the teen anthem of the time, "Smells Like Teen Spirit," Kurt Cobain was noted as being one of the best songwriters of the generation.

The band's third album, "In Utero" was a commercial success, debuting at number one on the Billboard Album chart. The sound was somewhat different to that of their earlier albums. Nirvana fan, Simon Cox from Devon, UK said, "Compared to the other albums, "In Utero" was a bit like a going back to the past and the things that made the band who they were. It's also about things that went on in his (Cobain's) life such as his parents." When asked whether the third album may have had any reflection on Cobain's state of mind at the time he wrote the songs, Mr Cox said, "Yes, in many ways it was also a lyrical story about what he felt at the time of recording the album. "All Apologies" is a song for Courtney and also about how he felt about himself, her and the fame."

"In Utero" was the last album released before Cobain's death, but that wasn't the band's last album overall. Live albums, previously unheard tracks and a greatest hits album have all since been released.

Relationship with Courtney Love

The press weren't only interested in Kurt Cobain's music. His high profile relationship with Courtney Love meant that there was more focus on him than ever. The couple met for the first time in 1990 in Portland, Oregon at a nightclub but it wasn't until the following year that they got together. In the beginning, they spent a lot of time keeping in touch via telephone and letters due to work commitments with their bands but they found time to marry in 1992 and their baby girl, Frances Bean arrived in August of the same year.

Finding reports about Kurt and Courtney's relationship has proved to be difficult, but it has been suggested that it was quite turbulent. The pair used drugs together, but after some time, Cobain's drug use was said to be a source of arguments between them. Love became troubled by her husband's behaviour and called the police several times after they had fought. There were also occasions when the Hole singer was concerned by Cobain's gun collection and they were removed by the authorities for safety purposes.

Aside from these small snippets of information, very little has been revealed about their relationship, though last year, Courtney Love rather bluntly said, "I married a guy, he killed himself, I inherited everything. That's the way it goes."

Kurt Cobain's drug use

The success of Nirvana is widely thought to have led to the downward spiral of Cobain. As a person who had become more introverted since his parents' divorce, the mass of media attention that was suddenly thrust upon him quickly took its toll. The pressures of fame led him to rely heavily on drugs and although he continued to play with the band, he began to withdraw himself from the company of his band mates.

In the early 90s, the grunge star began using heroin as a way to escape from the stresses - though it was also believed that the drug helped to ease an undiagnosed stomach condition which caused the singer agonising pain. Although he managed to kick the heroin habit shortly after his daughter was born it wasn't too long before he resumed his drug use again. One month (almost to the day) before his death, Cobain overdosed while in Rome with his wife. There are conflicted reports about whether his overdose was intentional. It was officially declared accidental though some claim it was a suicide attempt because he left a note. More about this can be found in Charles R Cross' biography of Kurt Cobain, "Heavier Than Heaven."

On April 5, 1994 Cobain hid himself away in his Seattle home, injected himself with lethal amounts of heroin, then shot himself. The presence of a note and the evidence at the scene meant that the official cause of death was listed as being suicide. However, others weren't so sure.

Kurt Cobain's life was cut tragically short, with the majority of evidence pointing towards his death being as it was officially declared - a suicide. Many of his fans were satisfied that that really was the case, though others have claimed that something far more sinister happened. Conspiracy theories about whether or not he was murdered still circulate to this day.

While we will never be able to know exactly how events unfolded on that sad day, Nirvana fans can at least take comfort in the fact that the memory of Kurt Cobain will live on forever through his music.

Sources:

Kurt Cobain Biography