Kurt Cobain was an American singer-songwriter. He rocked the music world with his band ‘Nirvana.’ He is known to have displayed artistic quirks since early childhood. However, he had a troubled youth because of his parents’ separation. Finding solace in music, he started with playing the guitar and eventually went deeper into the world of music. Albums, such as ‘Bleach,’ ‘Nevermind,’ and ‘In Utero’ were some of his very popular ones. ‘Nirvana’ signing with ‘Geffen Records’ came as a major accomplishment in his career. Read in detail about Kurt Cobain Biography, Age, Height, Daughter, Death, Family & Wiki.
Although he continued to grow exponentially on the professional front, his personal life was marred by his severe drug addiction. Plagued by health and family issues, he constantly struggled with depression and drug addiction issues throughout his life. However, his exemplary songwriting skills helped ‘Nirvana’ sell over 25 million copies in the U.S. and over 75 million records all over the world, making him an iconic personality in the field of rock music.
Kurt Cobain was a talented yet troubled grunge performer. He was the frontman for Nirvana, and became a rock legend in the 1990s with albums ‘Nevermind’ and ‘In Utero.’ Kurt Cobain started the grunge band Nirvana in 1988 and made the leap to a major label in 1991, signing with Geffen Records.
Cobain also began using heroin around this time. After releasing the highly successful album Nevermind, Nirvana’s highly acclaimed album In Utero was released in 1993 and catapulted to the top of the music charts. On April 5, 1994, in the guest house behind his Seattle home, Cobain committed suicide.
Kurt Cobain Bio/ Wiki
Birth Name | Kurt Donald Cobain |
Nick Name | Kurt |
Age | 27 Years |
Religion | Jainism and Buddhism |
Sun Sign/Zodiac Sign | Pisces |
Birth Place | Aberdeen, Washington, United States |
Date of Birth | February 20, 1967 |
Died Date | April 5, 1994 |
Nationality | American |
Residence | Not Known |
Home Town | Not Known |
Hobbies | Not Known |
Genre | Alternative rock, grunge |
Instruments | Vocals and guitar |
Labels | Sub Pop, DGC, Geffen Records |
Family |
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Mother’s Name | Wendy Elizabeth Cobain (Waitress) |
Father’s Name | Donald Leland Cobain (Automotive mechanic) |
Brother | Chad Cobain (Younger Half-Brother) |
Sister | Kimberly Cobain (Younger), Brianne O’Conner (Younger Half-Sister) |
Other Family Members | Leland Elmer Cobain (Paternal Grandfather), Iris Maxine LaBrot (Paternal Grandmother), Charles Thomas Fradenburg (Maternal Grandfather), Margaret Dawson Irving (Maternal Grandmother) |
Girlfriends/Affairs |
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Affairs/Girlfriends | Tracy Marander (1985-1988) Tobi Vail (1988-1990) Mary Lou Lord (1991) Jane Crowley |
Marital Status, Wife and Children |
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Wife/Spouse | Courtney Love (M. 1992) |
Marriage Date | Not Known |
Children | Frances Bean Cobain |
Education |
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School | Aberdeen High School |
College/University | Not Known |
Educational Qualification | Not Known |
Profession | Musician, singer, songwriter, guitarist, visual artist |
Brands Endorsed | Not Known |
Career Manager | Not Known |
Height, Weight, and Figure Measurements |
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Height (Approx.) | 5 ft 9 in or 175 cm |
Weight (Approx.) | 63 kg or 139 lbs |
Figure Measurements |
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Chest Size | Not Known |
Biceps Size | Not Known |
Waist Size | Not Known |
Extra Ordinary Features |
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Race / Ethnicity | White |
Hair Color | Dark Brown |
Eye Color | Blue |
S*xual Orientation | Straight |
Dress Size | Not Known |
Shoe Size | Not Known |
Favourite Things |
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Favourite Food | Not Known |
Favourite Actors | Not Known |
Favourite Colors | Not Known |
Favourite Sport | Not Known |
Controversies | Not Known |
Best Known For: Being the frontman of the popular alternative band, Nirvana, which is considered to be one of the most important and influential alternatives and grunge bands in the music industry. Being a famous pop and cultural icon. His well-documented drug addiction, mental issues such as depression, and fatal suicide, which has spawned several conspiracy theories.
First Album: In 1989, his music band released their debut studio album, Bleach, under the Sub Pop record label. The album had mediocre commercial success but was well received by the critics. Following the success of Nirvana’s second album, this album was re-released in 1992 by Geffen Records.
First Film: Kurt Cobain has appeared in the film 1991, The Year Punk Broke as himself in 1992.
First TV Show: In 1990, he made his first TV show appearance as himself on the talk show, Tonight with Jonathan Ross.
Kurt Cobain Net Worth
Kurt Cobain had a net worth of $50 million at the time of his death. Kurt Cobain was the co-founder, lead singer, and songwriter for the very successful and influential rock band, Nirvana. Nirvana sold 25 million albums in the US and 50 million internationally. He left behind his wife Courtney and newly-born daughter Frances Bean Cobain. Today Frances Bean is the primary beneficiary of Kurt’s estate. She is expected to the full estate, worth $200 million, on her 30th birthday. Today she earns over $100,000 per month in royalties, publishing rights, and investment dividends.
Estimated Net Worth in 1994 (Approx) | $50 million (at the time of death) |
Estimated Net Worth in 1993(Approx) | Under Review |
Annual Salary | Under Review |
Income Source | Musician, singer, songwriter, guitarist, visual artist |
Kurt Cobain Childhood Family Struggles And Young Age Life
Kurt Cobain was born on February 20, 1967, in Aberdeen, Washington. Kurt and his family lived in Hoquiam for the first few months of his life then later moved back to Aberdeen, where he had a happy childhood until his parents divorced. At age nine, Cobain went to live with his father who eventually remarried, which put more strain on their relationship. In the early 1980s, Cobain went to live with his mother and her boyfriend who were back in Aberdeen. It was during his high school days back home that Cobain was able to demonstrate his artistic talents through his love for drawing.
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, living with friends, and at times even homeless.
Challenging Young Age
When Cobain was introduced to punk rock music, a seed was planted that would forever change his life. He discovered the Melvins, a local punk rock group, and became friends with one of its members, Buzz Osbourne. It was Osbourne who exposed Cobain to more punk bands, but his newfound interest didn’t take Cobain away from self-destructive habits. Throughout high school, Cobain would get deeper into the drinking and drug scene. He also was fighting with his troubled mother and didn’t get along with his stepfather.
Cobain spent much of 1984 and 1985 living a nomadic life, staying with friends or sleeping in public buildings to avoid his family problems. In July 1985, Cobain was arrested for vandalizing some buildings and was later fined and given a suspended sentence. Months later, Cobain got his first band together, Fecal Matter. Despite recording some tracks, the band never went anywhere.
Eventually, Cobain began collaborating with bassist Krist Novoselic and a local drummer named Aaron Burckhard joined them. The fledgling band’s first public performance was in 1987 at a house party. Around this time, Cobain began his first serious relationship with a young woman named Tracy Marander. Despite financial restraints, the couple lived a relatively happy life in Olympia.
Kurt Cobain Marriage, Wife/ Spouse, Girlfriend, and Children/ Daughter
Girlfriends
- Tracy Marander (1985-1988) – In his struggling pre-Nirvana days, Kurt was in a relationship with Tracy Marander. He had met her during one of his visits to Olympia, Washington to attend rock concerts. They had moved in together and she used to work at the cafeteria of the Seattle–Tacoma International Airport to support them. She even had to resort to stealing food to feed them. Their relationship was often strained due to financial conditions as he refused to take up a job and would focus solely on his art projects. Also, her constant insistence that he finds a job served as an inspiration for the single, About a Girl, which was included in Nirvana’s debut album.
- Tobi Vail (1988-1990) – After separating from Tracy Marander, Cobain started going out with Tobi Vail, who was a drummer with the punk band, Bikini Kill. It is reported that he vomited during their first meeting as he was overwhelmed by the anxiety caused by his intense infatuation with her. This incident has been referenced in the song Aneurysm. During the course of their relationship, they would hold long philosophical and political discussions. Also, their attraction was based on their mutual affinity for creativity. However, their relationship waned as he yearned for the maternal comfort of the traditional relationship and Vail was well known for her modern sexist views in the punk scene.
- Mary Lou Lord (1991) – Kurt’s relationship with indie-folk musician and recording artist Mary Lou Lord was nothing more than an s%xual encounter, which had her performing an oral s*xual act on him on a parked bus in Boston`s Kenmore Square.
- Jane Crowley – Kurt Cobain was rumored to have had an affair with Jane Crowley, who was a model and photographer. However, their relationship has been dismissed as a mere urban myth by leading Kurt Cobain fan blogs.
Spouse/ Wife
Courtney Love (1990-1994): Cobain had first met Courtney Love in 1989 after his performance at a concert and they talked briefly. They got properly acquainted in January 1990 after having met at the Portland’s Satyricon nightclub. There are some publications that claim Love and Cobain were introduced in May 1991 at an L7 and Butthole Surfers concert in Los Angeles. Initially, Love made advances but Kurt was evasive as he used to break off dates. Kurt would later reveal that he also liked her right away but was determined to hold on to his bachelor life for a little longer. Once they got together, they bonded through their drug use.
After the completion of Nirvana’s “Pacific Rim” tour in February 1992, they got married in a low-key ceremony on Waikiki Beach in Hawaii. The ceremony was witnessed by eight individuals, including his Nirvana bandmate Dave Grohl. By the time, they got married Courtney was already pregnant and gave birth to a daughter Frances Bean Cobain in August 1992. In an interview with Vanity Fair, she revealed that she had taken drugs during her pregnancy as she wasn’t aware of being pregnant initially. The Los Angeles County Department of Children’s Services would later drag them to court alleging that their drug abuse made them unfit parents. They were very much together until his suicide in 1994.
Children/ Daughter ( with Courtney Love)
Love was already pregnant, and the couple’s daughter Frances Bean Cobain was born on August 18, 1992. A sonogram of the couple’s as-yet-unborn baby was included in the artwork for Nirvana’s single, “Lithium”.
In a 1992 article in Vanity Fair, Love admitted to using heroin, not knowing that she was pregnant; however, Love claimed that Vanity Fair had misquoted her, but the event created a media controversy for the couple. While Cobain and Love’s romance had always been a media attraction, they found themselves hounded by tabloid reporters after the article was published, many wanting to know if Frances was addicted to drugs at birth. The Los Angeles County Department of Children’s Services took the Cobains to court, stating that the couple’s drug usage made them unfit parents. Love later claimed to have ceased heroin use upon learning of her pregnancy.
Kurt Cobain Band ‘Nirvana’
Starting in 1988, Cobain’s musical ambitions began moving onward. His band admitted on the name Nirvana and released their first track “Love Buzz” on a small label. Around the same time, Burckhard was replaced by Chad Channing on drums and the band was making advancement in Seattle’s music scene. In 1989, Nirvana released their first album, Bleach, which failed to make a big impression. What was evident, however, was Cobain’s songwriting skills and what would become their trademark blend of heavy metal and punk. As the band forged on, 1990 became a fateful year for Cobain and the rest of Nirvana.
Cobain met rocker Courtney Love at a Portland nightclub in 1990, but their romantic relationship would develop later. Nirvana also got the time to tour with Sonic Youth that year and after various changes, brought in former Scream band member Dave Grohl to replace Channing on drums. ‘Nevermind’ In 1991, Nirvana signed with a major label, Geffen Records, and released their second studio album, Nevermind, which henceforth, gave them their “grunge” label.
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Kurt Cobain Sudden Rise with “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
Nirvana’s single “Smells Like Teen Spirit” became their biggest hit, pushing their album to no. 1 on the music charts and establishing Cobain as an exception songwriting talent of his era. With Nirvana’s popularity escalating into the mainstream, Cobain was disturbed on the direction his music was going. As someone who built his artistry on anti-establishment thoughts, Cobain began feeling he was losing control of his future. He began using heroin to ease his stress and some health issues. Before the release of Nevermind, Cobain had reconnected with Courtney Love, who was fronting the band Hole.
The two doves into a whirlwind relationship, and in February 1992 Cobain and Love got married and had a daughter, Frances Bean, that August. But the relationship was built on unsteady ground, as both were heavy drug users. At one point, social services threatened to take their daughter away after Love’s Vanity Fair interview came out, in which she admitted to shooting up heroin while carrying Frances. After a difficult and expensive court battle, the couple managed to keep their family intact. But Cobain and Love also had their fair share of problems with each other. In 1993, the Seattle police had to break up a violent dispute at the couple’s house. The two were fighting over Cobain’s guns at the residence, which resulted in the police confiscating them, as well as arresting him for assaulting Love.
Kurt Cobain Addicted to Drugs, ‘In Utero’ Release
While Cobain dealt with personal struggles, professionally he was at the top of his game. In 1993, Nirvana released In Utero, which soared to no. 1 on the music charts. His deeply personal lyrics reflected his anger towards the recording industry with tracks like “Radio Friendly Unit Shifter” as well as his softer side with “Heart-Shaped Box,” which is said to have been about Love. In the fall of 1993, Cobain and the band performed for MTV’s Unplugged in New York City and also toured Europe. While in Europe, Cobain took time out to spend with Love and daughter Frances, but while at his hotel in Rome, Italy, he purposely overdosed on drugs and fell into a coma. Love found him, and he was urgently taken to the hospital.
When he returned to the States, Cobain’s mental state depressed. On March 18, 1994, Love called authorities because Cobain had taken medication and locked himself in a closet with guns. When the police arrived, they determined he was not suicidal, but as a safety precaution, confiscated the medication and firearms. Shortly after, Love pleaded with Cobain to get clean, which she was trying to do herself. He checked into a rehab clinic in L.A. but left days later.
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Kurt Cobain Death/ Suicide
On March 4, 1994, Kurt was taken 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 Bean 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”.
Some Known Facts About Kurt Cobain
- He started developing an interest in music at a fairly young age. By the age of 2, he was singing and at the age of 4, he started playing the piano and even wrote a song about his trip to the local park.
- He behaved quite badly in his youth and even bullied another boy, which prompted his father and his stepmother to take him to a therapist. The therapist, in turn, suggested that he would benefit from a single-family environment instead of bouncing between his father’s household and mother’s house.
- While he was studying in junior high school, his father got him into a wrestling team. Although he was a skilled wrestler, he hated the experience and even allowed himself to be pinned to sadden his father.
- At school, he had befriended a homosexual boy due to which he had to endure bullying. He later revealed that he loved hanging out with him because other people left him alone due to his association.
- After he dropped out of high school just two weeks before graduation, his mother gave him an ultimatum to find work in a week. A week later, he found his belongings and clothes packed in boxes.
- During his period of homelessness, he stayed with his friends and even found himself living under a bridge over the Wishkah River. Also, he occasionally sneaked into his mother’s basement.
- When he was 14 years old, he told his schoolmate that he would emulate Jimi Hendrix by becoming a rich, famous, and popular rockstar, and then would kill himself when he was young.
- In his teenage years in Aberdeen, he had devised a crafty way to get alcohol. He and his friends used to get an obese alcoholic man in a shopping cart and would wheel him to the liquor store. He used to get the beer and they used to pay for his whiskey.
- After dropping out of school, he jumped from one job to the other including working as a swimming instructor at YMCA. He also used to work at The Polynesian Resort, which was about 20 miles north of his hometown.
- Before he started the group Nirvana, he had auditioned to join the popular rock band, Melvins. He had also claimed in his interviews that the first-ever concert he attended was of Melvins.
- When he used to have free time on his hands, he would buy slabs of meat, take it to the woods, and would shoot at it with different guns.
- Before he found success with his music, he seriously considered joining the US Navy. He is even reported to have met a recruitment officer to discuss his enrollment.
- It has often been claimed that he started using heroin on a daily basis to deal with his chronic stomach pains.
His father had got him enrolled in a Little League Baseball team. However, as a mark of his rebellion, he used to intentionally strike out due to which he didn’t have to play anymore. - His first drug use happened at the age of 13 when he used marijuana. Later, he tried almost every kind of popular drug, including abusing large amounts of LSD.
- In 1993, just before Nirvana’s performance at the New Music Seminar in New York City, he suffered a heroin overdose. Courtney Love had to inject him with naloxone to bring him back to consciousness.
- The day Nirvana was supposed to perform on Saturday Night Live in 1993, he took heroin during a photo session and went off to sleep. Love had to splash water on his face to wake him up.
- In 2003, the prestigious Rolling Stones magazine placed him on the #12 spot in the list featuring the greatest guitar players of all time.
- In May 2006, the readers of the popular NME magazine voted him as the greatest rock ‘n’ roll hero of all time.
- In her 2008 interview, Courtney Love revealed that Cobain was offered the role of Lance in the cult movie, Pulp Fiction. Eric Stoltz was eventually cast in a particular role.
- While performing at a concert, he once saw a girl being groped in the audience. He immediately halted his performance, went to angrily confront the proper, and ordered security to throw him out.
FAQ’s
Throughout Most Of His Life, Cobain Suffered From Chronic Bronchitis And Intense Physical Pain Due To An Undiagnosed Chronic Stomach Condition. His First Drug Experience Was With Marijuana In 1980, At Age 13.
Most Of Cobain’s Ashes Were Originally Scattered At A New York Buddhist Temple And In The Wishkah River In Washington State.
In Most Photos Of Kurt Playing Guitar Live He Held The Pick Very Close To The Front Edge So It Is Not Easily Seen And Hard To Tell. But You Were Correct As Kurt Cobain Did Indeed Use The Orange Dunlop Tortex Standard (.60) Guitar Picks As Can Be Seen On His Mic Stand In Several Photos Of Nirvana Live.
Nirvana, Fecal Matter