39: Kurt Cobain is found dead in his home
Even in life, Kurt Cobain’s significance had grown beyond mere “rock star”. He was a reluctant spokesman for Gen Xers. But Cobain had been deeply troubled for some time. Plagued by a lifetime of depression, chronic (and extremely painful) stomach ulcers, a tempestuous marriage, and a self-medicating heroin addiction, Cobain had been hospitalized twice in the month prior to his suicide. His first hospitalization, a somewhat hush hush OD during a European tour, became a media circus. His second hospitalization was a stay at drug rehabilitation center, the result of an emergency intervention by family and bandmates. Less than a week into treatment, Cobain scaled the wall of the facility and boarded a plane back to Seattle. He was found a week later on April 8, 1994. Veca Electric employee Gary Smith arrived at Cobain’s Lake Washington home to install security lighting and discovered his body on the floor of the home’s garage apartment. The Nirvana lead singer and guitarist reportedly died of a self-inflicted gunshot to the head three days earlier. Arguably the most influential musical voice of the 90s, his death is still mourned by a generation. To honor the musician, Cobain’s hometown of Aberdeen, Washington has adopted the slogan “Come As You Are”.
Courtney Love reads Kurt’s suicide note at televised vigil
CNN Report
Nirvana performing Bowie’s “Man Who Sold the World” on MTV Unplugged
Interview with Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain Biography
Kurt Cobain Murder Investigation
885 Blog:
Kurt Cobain’s Suicide (Ryan Crawford, Wilmington, DE)
Pearl Jam’s SNL Performance Shortly After Cobain’s Death (Matt, Philadelphia, PA)
Guest Blogger: Most Memorable Suicide During My Junior Year Of High School
You forgot to mention the fact that his wife, Courtney Love, actually killed him.
October 18th, 2007 at 9:41 amWhile Kurt’s death was a tragedy, the elevation of this event in the list shows how myopic we can be. The death of Jimi Hendrix in 1970 while not as shocking as Kurt’s was a far greater loss musically. It appears prior to Kurt’s death that the future of Nirvana was in doubt and who knows whether he would have continued recording or become a recluse like Sly Stone or Syd Barrett. Hendrix on the other hand was exploring and inspiring new avenues in music. Miles Davis’ work with John McLaughlin on Bitches Brew was a direct influence from Hendrix’s work. Collaborations with the Brecker Brothers had already occurred and those with Miles and Sly Stone had been discussed.
October 19th, 2007 at 11:38 pmWhile Kurt influenced a generation of musicians, Hendrix has influenced almost EVERY single musician regardless of style (Hip Hop to Speed Metal to Jazz to Classical) for more than 40 years. One last point to ponder when people think about how Kurt’s career was cut short:
The time between the release of Are You Experienced and Hendrix’s death (3 years, 26 days). The time between the release of Nevermind and Kurt’s death (2 years, 6 months and 12 days). If you include ‘Bleach’ in the conversation Jimi’s career is more than one and half years shorter. The shadow that Jimi’s legacy leaves is more than enough for Kurt and the rest of Nirvana to huddle under on a rainy Seattle day.