Kurt Cobain

Date of Birth

20 February 1967, Hoquiam, Washington, USA

Date of Death

5 April 1994, Seattle, Washington, USA (suicide)

Birth Name

Kurt Donald Cobain

Height

5' 9½" (1.77 m)

Mini Biography

Kurt Cobain was born on February 20 1967, in Hoquaim, a s

mall town southwest of Seattle. Kurt later moved to Aberdeen, where he had a happy childhood until his parents divorced. The divorce left Kurt's outlook on the world forever scarred. He became withdrawn and anti-social. He was constantly placed with one relative to the next and at times even homeless, forcing him to sleep under a bridge. Kurt was not the most popular person in high school, getting picked on by "jocks" and being labeled as "queer". In 1985 Kurt left Aberdeen for Olympia where he formed the band Nirvana in 1986. In 1989 Nirvana recorded their debut album Bleach under the independent label Sub-Pop records. Nirvana became very popular in Britain and by 1991 they signed a contract with Geffen. Their next album Nevermind became a 90s masterpiece and made Kurt's Nirvan

a one of the most successful bands in the world. Kurt became trampled upon wit

h success and found the new lifestyle hard to bear. In February 1992 Kurt married Courtney Love, the woman who was already pregnant with his child, Frances Bean Cobain. Nirvana released their next album Incesticide later that year. The album appealed to many fans due to the liner notes, which expressed Kurt's open-mindedness. In September 1993 Nirvana released their next album, 'In Utero', which topped the charts. On March 4, 1994, Kurt was tak

en to hospital in a coma. It was officially stated as an accident but many believe it to have been an unsuccessful suicide attempt. Family and friends convinced Kurt to seek rehab. Kurt was said to have fled rehab after only a few days from a missing person's report filed by Courtney Love. On April 8th Kurt's body was found in his Seattle home. In his arms was a shotgun, which had been fired into his head. Near him laid a suicide note written in red ink. It was addressed to his wife Courtney Love and his daughter Frances Cobain. Two days after Kurt's body was discovered people gathered in Seattle, they began setting fires, chanting profanities, and fighting with police officers. They also listened to a tape of Courtney reading sections of the suicide note left by Kurt. The last few words were "I love you, I love you".

Spouse

Courtney Love

(24 February 1992 - 5 April 1994) (his death) 1 child

Trivia

Daughter, Frances Bean Cobain, born. [18 August 1992]

Ashes were scattered in McLane Creek- Olympia, a handful wer

e scattered under the willow at the front of 171 Lake Washinton Boulevard, Seattle, another handful was givern to a Buddhist to make a tsatsu - a memorial sculpture.

Guitar and vocals for the legendary

alternative band Nirvana.

Although Cobain's death was officially ruled a suicide, certain aspects about his death have led to speculation that he was murdered: - He had entirely too much heroin in his system at the time of his death to have been able to operate a shotgun. He would have been incapacitated within seconds of injecting it. - The so-called "suicide note" may have been a letter to his fans expressing his desire to quit both Nirvana and the music business altogether. - One of Cobain's credit cards was being used a few days before AND AFTER his death.

After his death, many musicians recorded tribute songs to him. Some of the better known of these include R.E.M.'s "Let Me In", Patti Smith's "About a Boy", Neil Young's "Sle

eps with Angels", and Cher's "The Fall".

His songs have been covered by Tori Amos, Sinéad O'Connor, Herbie Hancock, and Branford Marsalis.

His most famous song, "Smells Like Teen Spirit", was voted by Rolling Stone Magazine and MTV as the 3rd best pop song out of 100 of all time.

Was of Irish, English, German, and French ancestry.

Sister: Kim.

Half-sister: Brianne O'Conner.

Half-brother: Chad Cobain.

He's hailed by many as the most influential artist since the Second World War. His lyrics portray a musical virtuosity.

According to his widow, Courtney Love, Cobain left behind 109 unreleased, recorded songs when he died in 1994. Some are just song fragments, some music "collages", and about eight are acoustic numbers that Love deems good enough for release. One song, "Stinking of You", which he wrote with Love, includes the line "Stinking of you...I don't care if my life is shattered,

it's my point of view..."

His most popular songs include "About a Girl", "Been a Son", "Negative Creep", "Aneurysm", "Dive", "Sliver", "Smells Like Teen Spirit", "Lithium", "In Bloom", "Polly", "Something in the Way", "Heart-Shaped Box", "Rape Me", "Dumb", "Pennyroyal Tea", "All Apologies" and "You Know You're Right" (written and recorded shortly before his death but not officially released until October 2002).

The Nirvana song "Scentless Apprentice" is based on a book called "Perfume" by Patrick Süskind.

The original title for "Heart-Shaped Box" was "Heart-Shaped Coffin."

Recent biography is written by Charles Cross, an influental icon in the Seattle music scene. The biography, "Heavier Than Heaven", is said to be the most comprehensive biography of one of the most mysterious artists in music history.

His death is referred to in the lyrics of the Badly Drawn Boy song "You Were Right".

Played a trick on the MTV brass when he began Nirvana's appearance at the 1992 MTV

Video Music Awards by singing "Waif me", a take-off on the song "Rape Me". He then quickly switched to playing "Lithium", the song the band had agreed to play in

the show as a compromise with MTV executives. Cobain had wanted to sing the then-new song "Rape Me", while MTV's bigwigs wanted the band to lead off the show with their signature song, "Smells Like Teen Spirit". The two sides settled on a mid-show rendition of "Lithium".

Named 12th greatest guitar player of all-time by Rolling Stone magazine in 2003.

Usually wrote left-handed, but in time learned how to write right-handed as well.

Samples of Cobain-penned song lyrics: "I'm a negative creep and I'm stoned" ("Negative Creep," 1989)... "She keeps it pumpin' straight to my heart" ("Aneurysm," 1990)..

. "And I forget just why I taste/oh yeah, I guess it makes me smile/I found it hard, it's hard to find/oh well, wha

tever, nevermind" ("Smells Like Teen Spirit," 1991)... "My heart is broke/but I have some glue/help me inhale/and mend it with you/we'll float around/and hang out on clouds/then we'll come down/and have a hangover" ("Dumb," 1993)... "I'll keep fighting jealousy/until it's fucking gone" ("Lounge Act," 1991)... "The animals I've trapped/have all become my pets" ("Something in the Way," 1991)... "Things have never been so swell/I have never failed to feel pain" ("You Know You're Right," 1994)... "All in all is all we all are" ("All Apologies," 1993).

Was runner-up for Best Songwriter of 1994 in "Rolling Stone" magazine's annual critics' poll. He ranked between Freedy Johnston and

Sam Phillips, who placed 1st and 3rd in the poll, respectively.

The song "Mighty K.C." by For Squirrels was written about him.

Had disbanded Nirvana (his rock group) and was in the process of divorcing Courtney Love at the time of his death.

He wrote a song for his friend Mark Lanegan, who sang for the Screaming Trees. The song was never recorded because Mark said not only would it be like digging up the grave of an old friend, but the song simply didn't fit with the rest of the "Dust" album in a lyrical sense.

At the Video Music Awards in 1992, Nirvana was originally supposed to play "Smells like Teen Spirit". Kurt refused and they ended up playing "Lithium".

He is mentioned in the song "Californication" by Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Cher composed the song "The Fall", after learning about his suicide. The song is included on her album Not.Comm.ercial, which was for sale only on the Internet.

His mom was 19 and his dad was 21 when he was born.

Loved all seafood.

Obsessed with vinyl, he had a substantially expensive record collection.

His parents divorced when he was 7.

Nirvana were voted the 27th Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Artists of all time by Rolling Stone.

Is mentioned in the song "Innocent" by Our Lady Peace

At one time sang in the choir at a Baptist church

Daughter Frances Bean looks almost exactly like him. She has the distinct blue eyes, and nose.

Posthumous album "Nirvana: Mtv Unplugged" earned him and Nirvana a 1995 Grammy. It was the only Grammy they won.

His suicide marked the end of the Grunge era.

His songs have been covered by bands ranging from Evanescence to hard rock supergroup Velvet Revolver to female Japanese duo Cibo Matto.

Was a left-handed guitarist and a right-handed drummer.

His 3 favorite films are Paris, Texas (1984), - as stated on the "Nevermind - It's An

Interview" CD; Over the Edge (1979); and Rear Window (1954).

Suffered chronic stomach pain from stomach ulcers and back pain from scoliosis (curvature of the spine).

The song "About a Girl" was about his one-time girlfriend Tracy Marander.

He wore blue-plaid pajamas and a woven Guatemalan purse to his wedding with Courtney Love.

Drew Barrymore is the godmother of his daughter Frances Bean

Got his first guitar at age 14.

Son of Donald Cobain and Wendy Fradenburg. Grandson of Leland Cobain and Iris Cobain née LaBrot and Charles Fradenburg and Peggy Fradenburg née Irving. His parents married in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho on July 31, 1965. They had a son and a daughter while they were married to each other. Kurt, born February 20, 1967 and Kimberly, born on April 24, 1970

. They divorced in 1976.

"Thank you all from the pit of my burning, nauseous stomach for you letters of concern over the past years. I don't have the passion anymore and so remember, it's better to burn out than fade away" (addressed to Nirvana fans in his suicide note)

Has been voted as "the greatest rock'n'roll hero of all time" by the readers of "NME" magazine (10 May 2006).

Has said in interviews that he always wanted to give acting a try and be in a movie.

Said he eventually wanted to experiment with filmmaking. He even wrote a script for a horror movie.

Nirvana won the 1993 Brit Award for International Breakthrough Act.

Surpassed Elvis Presley to become the world's top-earning dead celebrity. The late Nirvana front man raked in £26.3 million from beyond the grave during 2006, according to US business website Forbes.com.

John Lennon's song "In my Life" was played at his funeral.

Ranked #49 on VH1's 100 Sexiest Artists.

The last movie he watched before his death was The Piano (1993).

Bob Dylan, a fan of Nirvana, counted "Polly" as his favorite song by the band.

Very frequently changed up the words or the order of lines or verses of his songs when performing them live, rarely if every singing them the same from show to show.

Personal Quotes

Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.

I'm not well-read, but when I read, I read well.

I'm not a death rocker, and I don't wear black.

Id rather be hated for who I am than loved for who I am not.

I think people who glamorise drugs are f**king ***holes and if there's hell they'll go there.

[To 'Weird Al" Yankovic', when asked for permission to do a parody of "Smells Like Teen Spirit"] "It isn't going to be about food, is it?".

"I stared into his eyes and told him that I thought he was a respectable human. I did tell him straight out that I think his band still sucks." - on his encounter with Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder.

I'm not gay, but I wish I was just to piss off the homophobes.

If I went to jail, at least I wouldn't have to sign autographs.

The music comes first. Lyrics are second. (When asked how he writes his songs.)