On April 5, 1994, the musical world was dealt with a sudden blow after Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain took his own life. He was only 27 at the time. Now, 30 years since his passing, his music continues to leave a mark on listeners. We take this moment to look back and revisit the talented musician’s journey.
Cobain’s interest in music and the arts began at a very young age. He was surrounded by artists after all, as most of his family was known for being talented artists and musicians. Based on stories from his family, he also had a talent for drawing. Many stories of his youth painted a happy childhood up until his parents divorced when he was nine. His father would settle and start a family with a new wife.
His mother also married another man. It was an unhappy time for the young musician, as on his father’s side he felt he wasn’t receiving the same attention he used to receive as an only child while on his mother’s side, he witnessed his mom undergo physical abuse from her new husband.
Despite the rocky times Cobain faced, it was during his teenage years that he cemented his love for music. An uncle gifted him with an electric guitar at age of 14 and he was quick to learn how to play it. Later, in one of his art classes, he formed a friendship with Melvins singer Buzz Osborne. Through Buzz, Cobain learned a lot about punk rock. As Cobain frequented practice sessions of the Melvins, he would encounter bassist Krist Novoselic, who became his friend. From the very beginning, Cobain was adamant about starting a band with Krist but the latter took a while to be convinced.
Hoping to get things going, Kurt and Krist’s earliest performances together were often done with other members of the Melvins band. Eventually, after taking up several different names for a band the two settled with Nirvana in 1988. In that same year, they would work on their debut album, Bleach. Although Nirvana had a solid start, they had a problem looking for a consistent drummer, with whom creative differences, as with previous drummers, would not compromise their creative direction. In 1990, Buzz introduced Dave Grohl to the duo and the rest is history.
As the band started to grow a steady fanbase, Nirvana signed under DGC Records in 1990 to work on their first major label album Nevermind. Nevermind’s success had cemented the band’s status as one of the best. “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” the first track in the album, skyrocketed on the charts and placed fifth in Rolling Stone’s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Other iconic songs from the album include “Come As You Are,” “Lithium,” “Something in the Way,” and “Polly.”
By 1993, the band went on to release its third album In Utero. Once again, Nirvana topped the charts. Unfortunately, at the height of the band’s success, Cobain found himself battling an addiction to heroin and dealing with depression, all while trying to take care of his wife Courtney Love and daughter Frances Bean Cobain. There was also a lingering feeling that Nirvana would eventually disband and go their separate ways. Hoping to help Cobain, many of his friends staged an intervention and he agreed to check into rehab. He left a few days later to return to his hometown Seattle, where he took his life.
In his final note, he wrote a letter addressed to Boddah, an imaginary childhood friend. He wrote about the struggles he had whenever he would perform onstage. By the end of the note, he wrote about his wife and daughter and just how much he loved them both. A public vigil took place on April 10, 1994, at the Seattle Center. Thousands were in attendance.
After looking back at the journey of his life, may we remember him best for the impact his music left.