Kurt Donald Cobain was born on February 2, 1967, in the small town of Hoquaim, near Seattle, Washington. His father, Dan Cobain, was a car mechanic, and his mother, Wendy OConnor, a cocktail waitress. Shortly after his birth the family moved to the logging town of Aberdeen, Washington, and there he spent his early years - an unhealthy child, suffering from chronic bronchitis, but by and large a happy one. He acquired a younger sister, Kimberly, and he developed a passionate interest in music, demonstrating early prowess as a singer.
Everything changed for Cobain at the age of seven, when his parents divorced. Deeply ashamed and insecure, he found himself in the early stages of what would become a lifelong manic depressive illness. Though he loved art, he found it hard to concentrate on other school subjects and was prescribed Ritalin for ADHD. He particularly hated school sports, despite being good at wrestling, and preferred to get exercise in less conventional ways, such as by throwing himself off roofs or attaching firecrackers to his chest and setting them off. This rebellious spirit led him to the local punk scene where he further explored his love of music. He also experimented with drugs, inadvertently becoming addicted to the painkiller Percodan. Thrown out of the house by his mother after dropping out of high school, he spent some years homeless before moving to Olympia, with bassist Krist Novoselic, and forming Nirvana.
The massive success of Nirvana, which also included drummer Dave Grohl, is now a part of music history; they spearheaded the rising popularity of the grunge movement and won international acclaim with their two albums, Bleach and Nevermind. Cobain's intensely personal lyrics drew praise even from the likes of Bob Dylan. But Cobain himself struggled to cope with the pressure; he was exhausted by touring and his health continued to deteriorate, causing him chronic stomach pain. He took heroin to help him cope and gradually became an addict. He became concerned that he had inadvertently sold out, with his band attracting the wrong sort of fans, particularly in the aftermath of a rape committed by men chanting the lyrics to his song "Polly."
After unsuccessful relationships with Tracy Marander and Tobi Vail, Cobain finally found happiness with Hole singer Courtney Love, someone who could understand his addiction. Upon discovering that Love was pregnant, the two married. They had a daughter, Frances Bean, named after Frances McKee of The Vaselines. Drew Barrymore became her godmother. The child was initially taken into care following media speculation about the couple's drug habits, but eventually they regained full custody. Cobain began to go in and out of rehab in an effort to kick his addiction.
On March 4, 1994, Cobain took an overdose of champagne and rohypnol while staying in a hotel in Rome, Italy. He recovered in hospital but remained severely depressed. A few weeks later he went missing, and his body was found by an electrician visiting the spare room above his garage. He had died from a single shotgun wound to the head, leaving a suicide note addressed to his childhood imaginary friend Boddah, which quoted the Neil Young lyric "better to burn out than to fade away."
Cobain's death, which remains controversial, was mourned by five thousand fans who gathered for a candlelight vigil in Seattle. It became the subject of songs by artists including REM, Cher, and Patti Smith.
YUDDY
