“I’m not afraid of dying. Total peace after death, becoming someone else is the best hope I’ve got.” This statement made by Nirvana front-man Kurt Cobain reflects both the self-loathing and general sorrow, or anguish, that he felt he was constantly suffering from and ultimately what led to the tragic event that occurred on April 5, 1994. Kurt Cobain, the lead singer of the band Nirvana, was born in Hoaquiam, Washington on February 20, 1967.1 Few honestly know of the struggles Kurt had to endure in his life, such as his parents’ divorce when he was about nine. This break-up resulted in Kurt losing a permanent place of residence, leaving him in a constant state of borderline homelessness. As a matter of fact, Kurt even resorted to staying at the hospital where he was born around the age of nineteen.2 Regardless, Kurt still managed to climb from rock bottom to become the star he was: the lead singer of Nirvana and the face of grunge music for many people worldwide.
Of course, Nirvana didn’t come straight out the gate making hits nor score international shows. The band Nirvana actually had quite a macabre or fuzzy rise in comparison to other bands. Interestingly enough, Nirvana didn’t even start off being called Nirvana. This small trio actually bounced around with abstract names for quite a few years. From their humble beginnings in Aberdeen, Washington, in 1987 the band was known as Skid Row, Pen Cap Chew, and Bliss all within the same year.3 They played a few house parties and even fewer shows at real venues around the Aberdeen area, but the band life was more of a hobby to the group. They had fun doing what they did, played their hearts out when they had to, but they didn’t really think they were going to be anything huge when they first started out.
The group may have started small, but the effort and time they put into the band would soon enough pay off. In 1989, they released their independent album Bleach, which got them a lot more shows in lots of new places. The band finally started “blowing up” and gathering many followers nationwide. With this newfound momentum, Nirvana signed with Geffen Records and released their second album Nevermind, which has since become legendary. This was just two years after their first independent album Bleach was released.4 Nevermind kicked off Nirvana’s international rise to a new high, scoring them not only shows around the country, but in other countries as well. Nirvana went global and this new, dissonant, and muddy type of rock music started receiving mainstream recognition. This new and quickly popular genre became known and recognized as grunge, a form of punk rock with the muddy sounds of post-punk mixed with a sprinkle of youthful angst.5 This new genre became the sound of the ’90’s, with many bands such as Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and Alice in Chains riding the wave. But for many worldwide, songs such as “Smells Like Teen Spirit” or most of the songs from Nirvana’s Nevermind album became grunge anthems that depicted the youthful rebellion and dissonance reflected in grunge music.6
Although Nirvana was finally blowing up and rising to international fame quickly, the lead singer Kurt Cobain was still not truly satisfied with his life. Throughout his life, Cobain constantly suffered from stomach illnesses. In response to this constant illness, Kobain would abuse drugs like heroin, claiming it would cure this problem. Even worse, when Kurt met his soon to be mother of his child Kourtney Love, his heroin abuse only got worse.7 With more money and fame, his addiction grew stronger and the pressures of fame and fortune began mounting on his shoulders, until one day it was just too much. In 1994, while on tour in Europe, Kurt had to be hospitalized for drug overdose and other health issues including alcohol problems. Soon after, he was forced to cancel the tour and return back home to Seattle. His family and friends decided to stage an intervention and convince him to admit himself into rehab, much to his displeasure. This rehabilitation did not last long, as Kurt decided to flee the rehab center and return back home to Seattle, tragically unbeknownst to his family and friends. On April 8, 1994, an electrician found Kurt Cobain’s dead body in a room above the garage above his home where he was hiding out at.8 The cause of death was a self-inflicted shotgun blast to the head, and even worse, heroin was found in his system so it’s not even clear if Cobain really meant to do that to himself or if the drugs influenced him to do so.9
Cobain’s inconceivable and unanticipated death resulted in worldwide mourning over the loss of this young artist’s life. Family and friends, especially his girlfriend and daughter, were heavily affected by this tragedy, as well as all of his listeners. Cobain was an icon for Generation X. He gave voice to the youthful generation of people that felt they were dealt a bad hand. He encouraged the generation, and became “the poster boy for grunge.” After Kurt’s death, the grunge scene died down quickly. Of course, there were still other bands in the genre putting out a few successful albums, but the genre never saw the fame and glory it had during its heyday in the early ’90’s, when Nirvana was contributing to the movement.10 The genre died out as quickly as it was born, with the untimely and very unfortunate death of a very talented and tormented young artist.
- Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia, 2013, s.v. “Kurt Cobain,” by Delbert S. Bowers. ↵
- Nick Soulsby, I Found My Friends: The Oral History of Nirvana (New York : Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Griffin, 2015). 7. ↵
- Salem Press Encyclopedia, 2013, s.v. “Nirvana (music),” by Alan Haslam; Nick Soulsby, I Found My Friends: The Oral History of Nirvana (New York : Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Griffin, 2015), 1-18. ↵
- Salem Press Encyclopedia, 2013, s.v. “Nirvana (music),” by Alan Haslam. ↵
- Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Popular Musicians, 2004, s.v. “Grunge: A Brief History of a Hard Rock Genre,” by Gil Kaufman. ↵
- Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Popular Musicians, 2004, s.v. “Grunge: A Brief History of a Hard Rock Genre,” by Gil Kaufman. ↵
- Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia, 2013, s.v. “Kurt Cobain,” by Delbert S. Bowers. ↵
- Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia, 2013, s.v. “Kurt Cobain,” by Delbert S. Bowers. ↵
- Salem Press Encyclopedia, 2013, s.v. “Nirvana (music),” by Alan Haslam. ↵
- Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Popular Musicians, 2004, s.v. “Grunge: A Brief History of a Hard Rock Genre,” by Gil Kaufman. ↵
112 comments
Richard Morales
It’s quite a tragic story, proves money and fame cannot buy happiness. I always knew Kurt was a troubled soul but now I know the factors which contributed to his misery. He lived a tough life, I was astounded to hear how he had to stay in the hospital he was born in at the age of 19. I feel for Kourtney and their daughter.
Cooper Dubrule
As a fan of Nirvana I really enjoyed this article and how it went into depth about his personal issues such as his struggle to find a home and his stomach pains etc. I like the way that Kurt Cobain voiced himself during his short lived yet prominent life and I think this article captures that brilliantly with the opening quote. Though his death was controversial and no one knows the absolute truth i personally think it symbolizes how one can change the world in a short time.
Diego Aguilera
Never really been a fan of Nirvana’s music but i knew who Kirk Cobain was and in fact my parents were big fans. To see somewhere start from the bottom and rise to fame is a great site and in fact gives hope to anyone looking for answers and wanting more for themselves. But in Cobain’s case he let drugs get the best of him and the actions he decided to take showed the affect. Its sad but he is still very influential and in fact his life story is one to be shared and remembered for generations to come.
Donte Joseph
I had always been a Nirvana fan because I had enjoyed their music but truthfully, I had never taken initiative to do any research on any member or as to why I hadn’t heard much of them while growing up. I had no idea that they started the genre called “grunge” and I just find that fascinating because based on their start, they weren’t that big from the very begging. Something I find interesting was Kurt Cobain’s death. Without looking at what happened and digging deeper into his life, it is very easy to see that money, power, and drugs did him in, which to an extent is true. But Kurt had many other issues like actual illness and possibly mental health issues which for me if it weren’t for this article I may have never known that.
William Ward
Almost thirty years after its release, there are few people here in the United States that cannot recognize the iconic riff of Smells like teen spirit. Kurt Cobain was a tragic causality in the world of stardom where mental illness seems to go untreated resulting in drugs, alcohol, and other toxic substances being abused. Very saddening to read about Cobain and his demise but along with the other band members of nirvana successfully cemented their place in history as the cover boys of grunge as suggested.
Maggie Amador
I’ve always been a fan of Nirvana’s music but little did I know about the band’s rise to fame and the effect of Kurt Cobain’s death on the grunge genre. This article gave me insight into Kurt Cobain’s background and struggles, in which I was oblivious to. I had not realized the impact that Nirvana had on not only a genre of music but a whole generation. I always thought that Kurt Cobain’s death was a result of fame and drugs, but the article illustrated that the issues were rooted in his childhood with the divorce of his parents and his other illnesses. This newfound knowledge gives Nirvana’s music a deeper meaning, as with most of their songs you can really hear Kurt Cobain’s internal struggles through his lyrics.
Engelbert Madrid
I am a huge fan of the grunge scene. I listen to a lot of 90’s rock music, such as Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, and, obviously, Nirvana. While reading this article, the article, in some way, demonstrates Nirvana like the symbolic band of the 90’s and the Seattle sound. Once Nirvana stopped playing music when Kurt Cobain committed suicide, grunge music died out as well. However, Kurt Cobain accomplished his dream of making music and performing in front of thousands of people. Also, Nirvana won many MTV Awards and a GRAMMY after releasing their second studio album called Nevermind. Therefore, although he faced so many emotional and psychological problems in his life, he reached to his nirvana while he was still alive.
Sebastian Carnero
Cobain was not a musical genius or a prodigy, he was true to himself and to his music. He made music of what he felt and tried to be heard , but not understood. The first names of many bands are a struggle to be remembered and recognized by the industry, while the first names of nirvana where just funny and different. Pen Cap Chew , Bliss and others I doubt I am permitted to include in this comment. Novoselic, Cobain and Grohl were a trio that rose because of pure passion for music and dedication; and that’s why I respect them. Sure, they had trouble with drugs. But the effort on their work , their indifference about being mainstream and their young perspective of the world was what kept making people listen to their music.
Alexandra Rodriguez
The stunning portrayal and description of the grunge era being born through Nirvana is what I loved about this. Grunge dying as soon as it was born is such a grungy description and fits perfectly with the essence of the topic. I have studied Kurt Cobain’s suicide during a Psychology course and I found a lot of the information stated here, like the heroin addiction developing after the divorce of his parents, but the way it was explained in this article was just so much more captivating. I felt like I was growing with the band as we went through the lifespan of Nirvana. From their many name changes to the development of their first album. Then to the death of Cobain and an entire genre as a whole. I believe grunge is similar to the Latin language, only those who care to learn or listen are keeping it alive. And not much of the population is part of that.
Martina Rodriguez
Great use of the quote for the opening. I appreciate how the article grows along with Cobain, starting as far back as the points of him living in the hospital and the distant past when Nirvana was still known as Skid Row. While I had to appreciate the retelling of Nirvana’s success through their albums, it was more compelling to hear how Cobain was secretly feeling on the side. I never knew that Cobain was considered an icon for Generation X, but because of this article I can see why he is.