Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 - April 5, 1994) was the lead singer of the grunge band Nirvana (together with Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic). He was married to Courtney Love (singer/guitarist with the band Hole), with whom he had a daughter, Frances Bean Cobain.
Cobain was born in Hoquiam, Washington and spent his early years in Aberdeen, Washington. He moved to the Seattle area in 1985.
He was best known for the song "Smells Like Teen Spirit". He also wrote a song, "Lithium", about the medication lithium carbonate, which is used to treat bipolar disorder. Cobain was highly influential in creating and popularizing what came to be termed grunge music - a style that evolved as a reaction against the perceived superficiality of 1980s stadium rock and over-the-top metal bands with preened images and elaborate stage shows.
Cobain, depressed and in a heroin-induced haze, committed suicide at the age of 27 with a shotgun blast inside his mouth. His body was discovered three days later in his home by maintenance workers. Toxicology officials have stated that even though Kurt's tolerance level was extremely high, the amount of heroin injected into Cobain's body would have been enough to kill him. His death inspired a host of copycat suicides and conspiracy theories regarding his death. Many of these theories centered around accusations that Courtney Love, in a fit of insecurity or depression, had hired a hit on her husband's life. A documentary film was made on this theory, intitled Kurt and Courtney. The theory has quite a large following among Cobain's fans, many of whom never approved of his marriage in the first place.
Kurt Cobain was cremated; one third of his ashes were scattered in a Buddhist temple in New York, another third were scattered in the Wishkah River, Washington State, and the rest are with Courtney Love.
Writer Charles Cross published a biography of Cobain titled "Heavier than Heaven" in 2001. The next year a collection of Cobain's journal excerpts was released. Years after his passing, the musician continues to intrigue and inspire fans, most notably with the release of a new track You Know You're Right in the fall of 2002, along with a greatest hits album, called Nirvana. The release of both had been held up by legal wrangling between Love and the remaining members of the band.
