Commemorating 26 Years Of The Departure Of Grunge Icon Kurt Cobain

Kurt Cobain (Twitter @Nirvana)

JAKARTA - On April 5, 1994, the grunge icon Kurt Cobain was found dead at his home in Seattle, Washington DC, United States. Kurt Cobain's body was found by Gary Smith, an electrician who was about to install a security system. It is known, Kurt Cobain had died three days before being found and the cause of death was suicide by firing hot lead into his mouth.

Kurt Cobain was born on February 20, 1967. Cobain was born and raised in Aberdeen, Washington, a remote town about one hundred miles south of Seattle. Launching the Independent, Saturday, April 5, his parents divorced when he was eight years old. The consequences of divorce seemed to be disastrous for her life. On the wall of his bedroom, Cobain wrote, "I hate mom, I hate dad, dad hates mom, mom hates dad, it just makes you want to be sad."

In 1988, Kurt Cobain's ambitions for music began to grow. He and his colleagues agreed to name their band Nirvana and release their first song, Love Buzz, on a small label. During this period, drummer Aaron Burckhard was replaced by Chad Channing and the band made progress on the Seattle music scene. In 1989, Nirvana released their first album, Bleach but failed to make an impression.

1990 was a defining year for Kurt Cobain and the rest of Nirvana. Kurt Cobain met lady rocker Courtney Love at a nightclub in Portland, but the relationship later developed into a romantic relationship. Nirvana also had the opportunity to tour with Sonic Youth that year and - after undergoing various changes - recruited former Scream band member Dave Grohl to replace Chad Channing.

In 1991, Nirvana signed a contract with major label, Geffen Records, and released the second album Nevermind, one of the most influential albums in the grunge scene that was able to overturn glam metal music.

The single, Smells Like Teen Spirit, was their biggest hit, boosting Nevermind to No.1 on the music charts and establishing Kurt Cobain as the genius songwriter of his day.

As Nirvana's popularity skyrocketed, Kurt Cobain felt that he was losing control of his future. He started using heroin to reduce stress and several health problems.

Before releasing Nevermind, Kurt Cobain reconnected with Courtney Love, who at that time was in a band Hole. The two of them plunged into romance until they married in February 1992. The couple has a daughter, Frances Bean.

But their relationship is like building a house on unstable land. Both are heavy drug users. At one point, social services threatened to "take over" their daughter after a Courney Love interview admitted to using heroin while carrying Frances. After undergoing a fierce and costly trial process, the couple managed to keep their family intact.

But Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love made the same mistake again. In 1993, Seattle police had to separate the couple from a violent dispute in their home. The two of them fought over weapons which resulted in the police confiscating the weapon and detaining Kurt Cobain for injuring Courtney Love.

However, Kurt Cobain is still working on his music professionally. In 1993, Nirvana released the album In Utero which again made Nirvana soar to the top of the music charts. His deeply personal lyrics reflect Kurt Cobain's anger towards the music industry with songs like Radio Friendly Unit Shifter, as well as his soft side through the song Heart-Shaped Box which was inspired by his relationship with Courtney Love.

Attempted Suicide

In the fall of 1993, Cobain and his band performed for MTV's Unplugged in New York and toured Europe. While in Europe, Kurt Cobain took time to spend with Courtney Love and Frances. But while at his hotel in Rome, Italy, Kurt Cobain took illegal drugs and fell into a coma. Courtney LOve found her husband was unconscious and rushed him to the hospital.

When he returned to America, Kurt Cobain's psychological condition worsened. On March 18, 1994, Courtney Love called the authorities because her husband took medication and locked himself in a cupboard with a gun. When the police arrived, the police said it was not a suicide attempt, but a security measure. The police then confiscated the drugs and firearms.

Courtney Love kept begging Kurt Cobain not to use illegal drugs anymore, because at that time Courtney himself was trying to get himself to stop using heroin.

On March 30, Kurt Cobain underwent rehab for heroin addiction for the umpteenth time at the Exodus Recovery Center, Los Angeles, California. A day later, Kurt Cobain escaped from the rehab center and flew to Seattle.

On the plane, Kurt Cobain met Guns N 'Roses bassist Duff McKagan; "I was on the same plane with Kurt on a flight from Los Angeles a few days before his death. We were both confused. We talked, but not deep," said Duff, reported Metalsucks.

"When we got to Seattle and headed to the trunk area of the plane, I thought I would ask Kurt to stay over at my house. (But) so many people there. We both came from a big rock band. We were standing close together and a lot of people stopped their steps. We were off guard for a few minutes and Kurt left. A few days later my manager said, Kurt died. "

After Kurt Cobain's death, Nirvana released the album Unplugged, which topped the album charts and two years later, From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah was also commercially successful.

However, legal debates over Kurt Cobain's unreleased music began to emerge between Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic and Courtney Love. In 2002 the trio finally found some solution by releasing the compilation albums Nirvana and With the Lights Out (2004), and Sliver: The Best of the Box in 2005.