Kurt Cobain was already a music legend during his lifetime. But after his death on April 5, 1994, the cult surrounding the singer really began.
Kurt Cobain (1967-1994) has now been dead longer than he was alive. At just 27 years old, he took his own life on April 5, 1994, tragically securing a place in the legendary “Klub 27” of musical geniuses who died young. Since that day, the Nirvana frontman, who was born in 1967 in the provincial town of Aberdeen in the US state of Washington, has stood in a row with big names such as Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970), Janis Joplin (1943-1970), Jim Morrison (1943-1971), Brian Jones (1942-1969) and Amy Winehouse (1983-2011). In this club he has the unique selling point of being the only member who did not die unplanned through an accidental overdose or other intoxication-related circumstances, but rather took his departure into his own hands in the form of a shotgun.
Tragic farewell to family and fans
As his heartbreaking farewell letter would show, he made his decision not only with his wife Courtney Love (59) and his daughter Frances (31) in mind, whom he wanted to live with the “unhappy and self-destructive death rocker” he perceived himself as, wanted to spare, but also with a view to his huge fan base, to whom he no longer wanted to deceive that he still had the passion to make music for them.
“The worst crime I can imagine would be to fool people by pretending to have 100 percent fun,” he wrote. And added: “I’ve tried everything in my power to appreciate it (and I do, thank God, but it’s not enough). I appreciate the fact that I and we influenced a lot of people and entertained.”
Becoming a music legend through radical self-exposure
Kurt Cobain was aware that his fans not only loved his music, but also identified with him on a much deeper level. The fact that he still has such cult status today is not only due to the outstanding music that he brought to the world during his short career with his band Nirvana, but also to the radical honesty with which he portrays himself and his deeply contradictory personality The song lyrics were always addressed by himself.
Kurt Cobain didn’t take refuge in abstract metaphors, but sometimes named his songs after the medication he had to take to combat the effects of his bipolar disorder. For example, in the song “Lithium”, in which he expressed his inner dilemma in lines like “I love you, I won’t break/I killed you, I won’t break.”
Rock star without a resting place
Almost immediately after Cobain’s death, a cult began around the singer, which sometimes took on grotesque excesses and features of saint-worship. The Seattle city government denied the rock star an official funeral on the grounds that they did not want to establish a pilgrimage site in the city, as was the case with the grave of Doors singer Jim Morrison in Paris. As a result, the widow Courtney Love simply kept his ashes with her, burying part of them on the property of their last shared home and scattering another part in a river and in a Buddhist temple in New York.
As it turned out later, she stored the rest in a pink teddy bag, which she often took with her to parties or trips and otherwise stored in her closet. When that bag was stolen during a burglary in 2008, she was distraught and said: “I can’t believe someone took Kurt’s ashes. I think it’s disgusting and I want to kill myself. I don’t know “What I’ll do if I don’t get her back. That’s all I have left of Kurt. I always carried him with me to feel like he was still with me.”
Where fans are close to their idol
Since there is no gravesite for Cobain, his admirers looked for other pilgrimage sites where they could pay homage to the rock icon, such as Viretta Park, which is adjacent to his last home in Seattle and is now home to a so-called “Kurt Cobain Bench ” is located.
Other memorials can be found in Cobain’s hated hometown of Aberdeen, where his fans like to make a pilgrimage to the Young Street Bridge, under which the singer is said to have hung out with friends as a teenager and also lived at times. There has also been an official one in the town since 2015, and there is also a very kitsch statue of the artist in the city museum, which depicts him with a guitar in his hands and a large tear on his eye.
Smells like conspiracy theory
Immediately after Cobain’s death, various conspiracy theories began circulating that assumed that the singer did not commit suicide but was killed. One of the proponents of this theory is Aberdeen’s mayor Bill Simpson, who was quoted as saying, among other things, “I think he was murdered, I really believe that.”
In addition, various obscure authors attempted to blame Cobain’s death on his widow Courtney Love, including Courtney Love’s father Hank Harrison (1941-2022) himself, who published the book “Love Kills. The Assassination of Kurt Cobain” in 2017 market brought.
Bizarre hunt for Cobain relics
Another bizarre aspect of the posthumous Cobain cult is the hunt for items from the deceased’s personal possessions that are traded like relics. Quite a few fans are willing to pay incredible sums for such memorabilia.
For example, in 2019, Cobain’s iconic olive green cardigan, which he wore to a taping of “MTV Unplugged,” sold for $334,000. The Fender Mustang guitar he played in the “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video changed hands in 2022 for $4.5 million. In comparison, the $14,000 paid at auction in 2021 for some of the rock saint’s hair was a real bargain.
The telephone counseling service offers help with depression and suicidal thoughts on the free number: 0800/111 0 111
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
