Kurt Cobain: life and death of a rock icon, 30 years ago

On April 5th, 1994, Kurt Cobain died unexpectedly. His death was the subject of speculations and conspiracies. Read more about Kurt Cobain's tumultuous life, tragic death, and the file made public by the FBI on the legendary performer in 2021.

Warning: This gallery contains details that may be distressing to some readers. Reach out to Lifeline (US) or Samaritans (UK) if you need to talk to someone.

Kurt Cobain was born on February 20, 1967. He would have been in his fifties today. It seems hard to believe that it has been nearly three decades since his untimely death.

The American singer, songwriter, and musician became famous worldwide in the 90s with the rock band Nirvana. Cobain was one of the most noteworthy musicians in alt-rock history and still has a cult following to this day.

Kurt Cobain was born in Aberdeen, Washington, in 1967. He was drawn to music from a young age, and at age four, he began playing the piano and writing his first songs. Here we see Cobain as a young teen playing drums at an assembly at Montesano High School in 1981.

(Photo: Montesano High School, Wikimedia)

The Cobain family went through rough times. Kurt's parents divorced when he was nine years old. The divorce profoundly affected the youngster and caused him to act out and show defiance towards authority.

Photo: Screenshot, YouTube

Kurt Cobain wasn't just a musician; he also was a talented artist. He is said to have enjoyed drawing and painting since he was a child. Over the years, Kurt created a variety of art, some of which ended up on the covers of Nirvana's albums.

An example is this painting which was on the cover of "In*cesticide." The painting pictured was displayed at a Seattle Art Fair in August 2017, alongside a collection of Cobain's other artwork.

Cobain and his friend Krist Novoselic formed the band Nirvana in 1987. Kurt was the guitarist and vocalist, and Krist played bass.

It took the pair a while to find a drummer that fit the group, but eventually, Dave Grohl joined the duo, and the Nirvana we all know and love was formed. Here we see a young Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl being interviewed for a radio show in 1991.

Photo: Julie Kramer / Wikimedia

Kurt wasn't happy with the band's early tours, as the group didn't attract large crowds or make a lot of money to help cover costs.

It wasn't until Dave Grohl joined the band and they recorded their major label album Nevermind in 1991 that Nirvana achieved mainstream success.

Cobain's song "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was a massive hit and helped make the subgenre of alternative rock popular.

Photo: YouTube / Vevo

By 1992 Kurt Cobain and Nirvana were massively successful and received several award nominations for their album Nevermind. In the same year, the group won 'Best Alternative Video' awards for "Smell Like Teen Spirit" and 'Best New Artist' at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Nirvana also performed at the 1992 MTV VMAs. They played "Lithium" and "R*** Me," despite being advised that it would be better to perform "Teen Spirit" with its less controversial lyrics.

Kurt Cobain and Axl Rose reportedly had a very heated argument when Axl told Kurt to "quiet his wife," referring to Courtney Love. The dispute became public knowledge when Dave Grohl made fun of Axel Rose after performing 'Lithium.'

Nirvana became known for putting on legendary shows. Kurt was a born performer; he loved to prank the audience and shock them.

At the Reading Festival, Cobain once pretended to be ill. He arrived on stage in a wheelchair at the show's start when rumors had circulated he was under the weather and couldn't perform. After the stunt, he gave an off-the-charts performance.

Photo: YouTube

On other occasions, he jumped into the drums on stage and even had a guitar dual with Krist Novoselic, where the pair used their guitars like swords to fight each other on stage.

Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love met in 1990. Although Kurt stood Courtney up several times at the beginning of the relationship, the couple eventually married in 1992 in Hawaii.

They attracted loads of media attention, and the pair struggled to deal with fame. Kurt and Courtney both had substance abuse issues, which only added problems to their troubled relationship.

When Cobain and Love were married in February of 1992, Courtney Love was already expecting. Frances Bean Cobain was born to the couple in August of 1992. The little family faced several challenges due to Kurt and Courtney's drug use.

Courtney admitted to the media that she used hard drugs both while pregnant and while caring for the couple's only child.

Courtney and Kurt even had to fight a case against Child Protective Services, as the court stated that the couple were unfit parents due to their drug use. Kurt and Courtney fought a costly court battle to keep custody of Frances Bean and won.

In 1993 Nirvana appeared on MTV's Unplugged performing covers such as "The Man Who Sold the World" by David Bowie, and Lead Belly's adaptation of the American folk song "Where Did You Sleep Last Night."

In contrast to the group's typical style, the Unplugged performance was perhaps Nirvana's most tranquil performance ever.

Kurt's health struggles are what lead to his addiction problem. The musician had chronic bronchitis and severe stomach pain from an undiagnosed condition. These conditions plagued him for most of his life, and he claimed he used drugs to escape the pain.

Cobain also suffered from depression, and there was a history of mental illness, self-harm, and addiction in his family. Kurt's attempts to self-medicate lead to a severe addiction that affected both his professional and personal life.

Prior to his death, there were many warning signs that the star was struggling. In the months leading up to his passing, he purposely over-dosed several times. Kurt's wife Courtney attempted to help him by placing him in rehab, but he checked himself out.

Fans worldwide were devastated when Kurt Cobain was reported dead on April 8, 1994. He was just 27 years old. Kurt's body had been discovered in his home by an electrician who had come to install a security system.

Cobain left a note saying he had "not felt excited about listening to or creating music for too many years." According to the coroner's report, the estimated death date was April 5, 1994.

Courtney Love and Frances Bean were left behind, and despite such a traumatic experience, both women are doing well today.

Following Kurt's death, fans went wild with conspiracy theories stating that Kurt Cobain did not, in fact, take his own life.

Many blamed Courtney Love, and many Nirvana fans still hold resentment against her to this day, even though none of the theories have ever been proven.

In April of 2021, the 27th anniversary of Kurt's death, the FBI released a ten-page file on the musician. Fans were eager to see what the FBI had unearthed regarding their favorite musician's death.

Pictured: Kurt's home in Seattle and the location of his death. (Photo: By Etsy Ketsy)

Unfortunately, the files did not reveal any ground-breaking new information. The file contained two letters from concerned citizens, whose names had been redacted, expressing their belief that Kurt Cobain's death involved foul play.

The first letter was sent to the FBI on September 24th, 2003. The author cited a conspiracy theory book, 'Who Killed Kurt Cobain?' (1998) and a conspiracy film, 'Kurt and Courtney' (1998), as proof that Kurt Cobain's death was the result of foul play, most likely at the hands of his wife, Courtney Love.

The second letter was sent to the FBI on November 20, 2006. The author of this letter claimed that evidence such as the lack of fingerprints on the gun found at the scene as well as a difference in the handwriting on Kurt's "goodbye" note (pictured), along with citations from the book 'Love and Death: The Murder of Kurt Cobain' (2001), made a compelling case that Kurt's death was, in fact, a murder.

However, despite the concerns of these fans, the FBI claimed that any investigation was not in their jurisdiction, and for the FBI to investigate, they needed 'specific facts' that a federal law had been broken. The file contains the same blanket response to the authors of both of the letters.

The response sent by the FBI was signed by Linda M. Trigeiro-Pabst from the executive secretariat office and stated: "We appreciate your concern that Mr. Cobain may have been the victim of a homicide. However, most homicide investigations generally fall within the jurisdiction of state and local authorities.

"In order for the FBI to initiate an investigation of any complaint we receive, specific facts must be present to indicate that a violation of federal law within our investigative jurisdiction has occurred. Based on the information you provided, we are unable to identify any violation of federal law within the investigative jurisdiction of the FBI. We are, therefore, unable to take any investigative action in this case."

The final pages of the file contain a fax sent to FBI offices in LA and DC on January 30th, 1997, along with several NBC executives from Cosgrove/Meurer Productions, the company that produces the documentary series 'Unsolved Mysteries,' which released an episode on the theories behind Cobain's tragic death in February 1997.

Pictured: a screenshot from the 'Unsolved Mysteries' episode on Kurt Cobain.

The fax states that former L.A. Country Sherriff's deputy and L.A.-based private investigator Tom Grant(pictured) believed that declaring Kurt Cobain's death as self-inflicted was "a rush to judgment" given the "inconsistencies" throughout the case.

Photo: tomgrantpi / Twitter

Interestingly, Tom Grant may be the same private investigator used by Courtney Love to check on Kurt's well-being, and Grant was mentioned in the 2003 letter sent to the FBI as well.

Even if fans and authorities don't agree on how Kurt Cobain passed away, he will never be forgotten. Kurt Cobain lives on through his music, his art, his fans, and the influence he has on other artists.

The Kurt Cobain Memorial Committee paid for and created this sign, which was erected in Cobain's hometown of Aberdeen, Washington.

Photo: Paul Fritts / Wikimedia

The Kurt Cobain Memorial Park was also created in 2011 in Aberdeen to commemorate the artist. It sits at the foot of the Young Street Bridge, which inspired Cobain's song 'Something in the Way'.

Photo: Kira Picabo / Wikimedia

The park features a guitar statue, a likeness of Kurt Cobain, and the lyrics to the song "Something in the Way." It has become a place of pilgrimage for Nirvana fans from around the world.