Kurt Cobain as he was. The life and death of Nirvana rock band leader Kurt Cobain (50 photos)

How it really was

Cobain’s name – “the John Lennon of his generation,” as he was called – also became synonymous with the collapse of illusions and disappointment in life. He was a “poet of suffering.” After his suicide, the whole world wondered: why?

Cobain has long been a victim of psychiatric “help.” While still at school, “child psychology experts” diagnosed Cobain with “hyperactivity.” Energetic, talented, creative child, who loved to hum the Beatles, Cobain was among the children who in the 60s and 70s, under the guise of providing “help with their studies,” were fed psychotropic drugs that led to drug addiction. Cobain was a "child of Ritalin."
Ritalin is a substance similar in properties to amphetamines that acts as a tranquilizer in children. This drug is included in Schedule No. 2 approved by the UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances, like opium, cocaine and morphine.
For Cobain, this drug caused insomnia. Accordingly, in order to neutralize this effect, he was prescribed sedatives. Despite statements from psychiatrists that stimulants help children learn, Cobain studied poorly and dropped out of school. After years of taking prescribed addictive drugs, Cobain easily turned to street drugs. Cobain's long-term struggle with heroin addiction became widely known as he constantly tried to quit his addiction, but could not.

The situation was complicated by advanced chronic diseases that haunted him all his life: the weight of the electric guitar hanging around his neck increased the curvature of the spine, and “a burning sensation in the stomach and nausea” often drove him to thoughts of committing suicide. Stomach pain - side effect Ritalin. Cobain used heroin to "put out the fire in his belly."

Cobain's drug problems became critical. In desperation, his wife Courtney Love and several friends referred him to a psychiatric drug rehabilitation center. 36 hours after his admission, Cobain escaped and committed suicide in a small room above a garage in a quiet Seattle suburb with a shot in the head from a pump-action shotgun.

In his suicide note, he mentions two things that forced him to make this decision: the stomach pain that had plagued him for years and the agony musical creativity, which he described with these words: “My passion has cooled.” The chemistry dissolved the artist within itself, the music stopped, and Kurt Cobain lost the meaning of life.

Rules of life

My name is Kurt I sing and play guitar, but basically I'm a walking, talking bacterial infection. I don't want to get too close to anyone. I don't want anyone to know how I feel or what I think. And if you are unable to understand what I am like by listening to my music, well, alas.

Hope, that I won't turn into Pete Townshend. It’s quite funny to be 40 years old and do what we do on stage now. That's why I want to quit my career before it's too late.
It's better to burn than to fade.

I have a message for our fans. If you hate homosexuals, people of color, or women for any reason, please do us a favor. Leave us alone, mother! Don't come to our concerts, don't buy our records.

I never I didn’t crave fame or anything like that. That's how it happened.
Until I was 9 years old, I was firmly convinced that I would become either a rock star, an astronaut, or a president.

All drugs- it's a waste of time. They destroy your memory, self-esteem, everything connected with self-esteem.
When I started taking heroin, I knew it would be as boring as smoking marijuana, but I couldn't stop, heroin became like air.

I love everyone - that's what's sad.

Life is what you build what your crossword puzzle is.

I always felt feeling like an outcast, and this couldn’t help but bother me. I couldn’t understand why I didn’t want to communicate with my peers and classmates. Many years later, I understood why - I could not get along with them, primarily because they were indifferent to my work.
I'm tired of pretending all the time good guy just to get along with others and have friends. He wore a simple flannel shirt, chewed tobacco, and became a reclusive monk in his little room for many years. Over time, I even began to forget what normal communication with people was.
When I realized that I wouldn't find someone like me, I just stopped making friends with people.

I'm really glad that I have a lot of money. It gives me confidence. In addition, I know that my child will grow up in prosperity and will always be provided for. It makes me feel good.

I was looking for something heavier and at the same time quite melodic. Something that would be completely different from heavy metal and have a completely different attitude towards the world.

No one dies virgin... Life has us all.

Question: " How Cool Cobain died"is still relevant. Although official sources assure that it was a planned suicide. But numerous nuances in this matter force us to think differently. After death of the soloist"Nirvana" Richard Lee (American journalist) released an episode documentaries, telling O last hours Kurt Cobain. Although this material was based on police reports, the version of suicide in these broadcasts seemed unconvincing.

How did Kurt Cobain die? Even today, this question gives rise to incredible rumors and speculation. Apparently, the found suicide note was the basis for putting forward only one version - suicide. Although, in the message left, not a single line foreshadows a desire to leave their lives. There is no doubt that the conclusions were drawn based on the last lines. If you look closely, it is obvious that the last lines are written differently. The letters are much larger, and pressing ballpoint pen stronger. Is it possible that the last lines " addition"An outsider?

Official version: "Suicide"

Second version: “Contract murder”

So, April 1 Courtney Love asked a detective to find her husband who had run away from a rehabilitation clinic. She assured that they wanted to withdraw a certain amount of money from Kurt’s credit card. It later turned out that a few days before the incident, Courtney blocked the card, justifying her action by its disappearance. Kurt’s wife also insisted that she had not known her husband’s whereabouts since April 1. But as it was established, on April 2 they were seen together.
According to an official examination, a huge dose of a narcotic substance was found in the blood of the Nirvana lead singer. Later it turns out that such a dose leads to death within a few seconds. In fact, the person will not even have time to remove the needle from the vein. Perhaps Kurt Cobain's body was accustomed to such doses? After the research, it became clear that after the injection, the rock star immediately passed out.

In addition, there were no fingerprints on the gun (from which the shot was fired). This once again proves the absurdity of the official version.
The private detective is sure that someone wanted to fake suicide, and did it almost perfectly. How did Kurt Cobain die? Tom Grahn is convinced that the mastermind behind the shocking murder there was a rock star's wife. Since the beginning of the divorce proceedings would reduce Courtney Love's current net worth for 29 million dollars.

Kurt Cobain - legendary rock musician, actor, super popular performer, was born in the suburbs of Seattle on February 20, 1967.

Childhood

Kurt was the first-born in the family of a simple auto mechanic and a waitress. However, his mother had an excellent education and worked as a teacher for some time. But when children appeared in the family, a more free schedule was needed to spend more time with them. Three years later, a girl appeared in the family, Kurt’s sister.

When parents were too busy, the children were often left in the care of their mother's sister, Aunt Marie Earle. She was fond of music and often listened to AC/DC, Queen, Kiss and others popular groups, to which I became addicted early childhood Kurt. By the way, it was his aunt who discovered his extraordinary musical abilities. He could sing musical phrase of any complexity.

On his seventh birthday, Kurt received a super pleasant surprise - a children's version of a drum set, a gift from his beloved aunt. But on the eighth, sad news awaited him about the divorce of his mother and father. She greatly undermined the psyche of the baby, who loved both. At first the boy stayed with his mother, but very soon moved to his father.

After his parents' divorce, he became very withdrawn. Kurt didn’t like communicating with strangers much before, but now his only outlet was his imaginary friend Bodd, because of whom his mother even took him to a psychiatrist, who, fortunately, did not find any other oddities in the boy.

Soon my father had a girlfriend, who then moved into their new house. Not too sociable, weird teenager didn’t find her mutual language and began to leave home often, spending the night sometimes with some relatives, sometimes with others.

Needless to say, with such a lifestyle, he had practically no time for normal studies, and he had practically no desire to do his homework. But somehow he finished school.

The Birth of Nirvana

Kurt began to study music seriously at the age of 14, when he managed to get a real guitar. And he was lucky with his teacher - by a lucky chance, he became a musician from The Beachcombers, guitarist Warren Mason. He instilled in the boy a feeling musical style, which made his game recognizable.

At the same time, the boy first became acquainted with the other side of musical parties - alcohol and drugs. At the age of 19, he even served 8 days in prison because he and his friends entered someone else’s house while drunk and screamed songs there. At the beginning of its musical career he often did odd jobs, and sometimes even had to go hungry.

He put together his first group in 1985. The guys learned seven rock compositions, and occasionally they were able to perform for little money in local clubs. But, after going on like this for about a year, the musicians fled in different directions. Kurt began distributing unprofessional recordings of his band in hopes of putting together another one.

Kurt's friend Chris Novoselic was the first to decide to join, and a little later they got a super-professional drummer, Aaron Burkhardt. The team remained for a long time without a name, which changed before each performance, since for some reason all the options did not suit one of the participants. And it was only at NIRVANA that all three finally came together.

Glory and Death

The group's first album, Nevermind, simply tore apart listeners, and its main hit became almost a youth rock anthem. In the blink of an eye, the team became super popular. But it turned out that the guys themselves, and primarily Kurt, were not ready for such a turn of events. The musicians increasingly drowned in alcohol and drugs, and their performances were often accompanied by scandalous stories.

So, in 1992, they simply destroyed crazy expensive equipment on the MTV stage, where they were invited to perform at the opening ceremony as stars. Cobain simply hated his main hit, which by this time was sounding from almost all American windows. And it was he who was asked to perform by the show organizers.

Kurt insisted on performing his favorite composition, the name of which translates as “bury me.” Naturally, MTV management was categorically against it. It was agreed that Nirvana would perform another hit, “Lithium.”

But Kurt decided to take revenge for the wasted nerves and the intro chords from “Rape me” were heard first, which shocked the audience. But then the band continued playing “Lithium,” effectively splitting the instruments on the final chords.

The more famous the group became, and this happened after the release of each subsequent Nirvana album, of which there were only three with Cobain’s participation, the stronger his heroin addiction became. By the way, he himself last day claimed that he takes drugs solely for medicinal purposes, in order to drown out severe stomach pain before performing or recording.

In April 1994, Cobain's body was discovered in his own home by an electrician who, through a window, saw him lying next to a gun and a pool of blood. According to doctors, death was caused by a shot to the head, but such an amount of heroin was found in the blood that Kurt would not have survived anyway.

Since there was a suicide note on the table addressed to the same imaginary friend who had not disappeared since childhood, they did not conduct a criminal investigation, but wrote it off as a banal suicide under the influence of drugs. However, there were those who unofficially believed that Cobain was killed. The musician's body was cremated and his ashes were scattered to the wind.

Personal life

The only love of his life was Courtney Love. Although in early youth he was popular with girls, which he took advantage of without any twinge of conscience, changing one partner for another. He immediately developed a deep feeling for Courtney, but for almost two years he did not give up, not wanting to commit himself to a serious relationship.

The initiator of their romance was Courtney, who liked Kurt back in 1989, when Nirvana was just gaining momentum. A year later, she managed to officially meet him at one of the music parties. But only in 1992, when Courtney became pregnant, Kurt agreed to formalize their union.

With Courtney Love. Wedding.

The wedding was strange. It took place on a Hawaiian beach. Courtney was in wedding dress, taken from a friend, and Kurt himself was in striped pajamas.

The daughter of Kurt and Courtney also inherited a love of art from her parents, but she expressed herself differently - the girl became famous artist. She practically does not remember her father - at the time of his death she was not even two years old.

With daughter

Until the last day, Courtney heroically fought her husband’s drug addictions and even called doctors and the police a couple of times when he locked himself in the room, threatening to commit suicide. But she failed to pull her husband out of the drug quagmire.

February 20 to the leader American group Nirvana to Kurt Cobain would have turned 45 years old.

Kurt Cobain born February 20, 1967 at Grays Harbor Community Hospital in Aberdeen, Washington, near Seattle. Kurt was of mixed Scottish, English, Irish, German and French blood.

Kurt's father was 21-year-old Donald Leland Cobain, a mechanic at a service station, of Irish descent, his mother was Don's wife, 19-year-old Wendy Elizabeth Cobain ( maiden name Freudenberg), Irish German origin, who changed several professions during her life. She worked as a teacher, a secretary, and a waitress in a bar. Kurt also had a sister, Kim (Kimberly), who was born in April 1970.

At the age of two, Kurt showed an aptitude for music, which is not surprising since he was born into a family of musicians. According to Aunt Marie Earle, Wendy's 14-year-old sister, the boy was singing and writing songs at age four. She even tried to teach him to play the guitar, which she played herself, but nothing worked. Kurt liked to listen to songs by artists such as The Beatles and The Monkees; he often attended rehearsals with his aunt and uncle, who were performing in a country ensemble at that time. Wendy sang well, and his great-uncle Delbert made a career as an Irish tenor, appearing in The King of Jazz (1930). Cobain was described as a happy, excitable and sensitive child. When he was seven years old, his Aunt Marie Earl gave him a Mickey Mouse drum set. Kurt loved to draw his favorite characters from films and cartoons such as Aquaman, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and Disney characters- such as Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse and Pluto. This is what Kurt said about his childhood.

At the age of 14 Kurt gave up playing the drums and began learning to play the guitar Uncle Chuck gave him for his birthday. Warren Mason, musician The group Beachcombers became his first teacher. Around the same time, he became interested in punk after reading an article about the Sex Pistols in Cream magazine. It was almost impossible to buy their records in Aberdeen, so he had a rather vague idea of ​​what such music should sound like (in his opinion own definition- “three chords and a lot of screaming”), but in his heart Kurt was already fired up with the idea of ​​​​creating a punk band. He soon met members of the Aberdeen band Melvins, who played music combining elements of punk and hard rock (later this style was called “grunge”). At Melvins he met Chris Novoselic.

In 1985, Kurt formed a group called Fecal Matter; it consisted of bass guitarist Dale Crover, drummer Greg Hokanson and Cobain himself - vocalist and guitarist. About a year later, the team disbanded without releasing a single disc; after that, Kurt began distributing the Fecal Matter demo among his friends - he wanted to create new group. One of the tapes went to Chris Novoselic, a friend of Kurt's. For a while he seemed to have forgotten about it, but a few months later he unexpectedly started a conversation with Cobain about how they should organize a rock band (he listened to the recording and liked the material). The newly formed team (which soon included a third member, drummer Aaron Burkhardt) changed several names: “Skid Row”, “Ted Ed Fred”, “Bliss”, “Pen Cap Chew” - but in the end they chose “ Nirvana " “I was looking for a name that was pretty or nice,” Cobain explained. In 1988, the group’s first single, “Love Buzz/Big Cheese,” was released, and already in next year went on sale debut album Nirvana "Bleach".

In 1991, the 2nd album was released Nirvana - Nevermind, which was extremely popular; compositions Smells Like Teen Spirit, Lithium, Come As You Are became hits on MTV, the disc received diamond status. Cobain was puzzled unexpected success album: "I certainly couldn't let my ego admit that we were so big that we deserved so much attention... I felt stupid that there were a lot of bands in the underground scene that were as good as us, or better than us, but for some reason only we attract attention.” He also noted that he was somewhat dissatisfied with the sound of the disc - very, in his opinion, “smooth” and “pop”. But, be that as it may, it was with the release of Nevermind that popularity and commercial success came to Nirvana, and Kurt was proclaimed the “voice of a generation” (“a title” that he disowned all his life).

Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love first met in 1989. Subsequently, both claimed that even then they were imbued with mutual sympathy for each other. In 1991, Love met Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. He reconnected her with Kurt, noticing that Cobain and Courtney had a mutual interest in each other; the couple soon began an affair, and in 1992, Kurt and Courtney got married (by that time Love was already pregnant with their child). According to Cobain, he “couldn’t believe how happy I was”: “Every now and then I forget I’m even in a band, I’m just blinded by love... I know it sounds strange, but it’s true.”
Frances Bean Cobain was born on August 18, 1992, the daughter of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love.

Kurt was loving husband and a caring father, which, at first glance, did not really fit with his image. “Every time I watch a television show about dying children... I can’t help but cry,” he writes in an unsent letter to his father. “Every day I am haunted by the thought that I could lose my child. I’m even a little nervous when I take it into the car, for fear of getting into an accident.”

On April 8, 1994, an electrician named Gary Smith arrived at the Cobains' home at 171 Lake Washington Blvd East in Seattle at 8:30 a.m. to install a security system. Smith called the house several times, but no one answered the door. Then he noticed a Volvo car parked in the garage next to the house, and decided that the owners of the house were probably in the garage or greenhouse, which was located directly above the garage. Smith checked the garage, then walked up the stairs to the greenhouse. Through the glass door of the greenhouse, Smith noticed the body and assumed that someone was sleeping, however, upon closer inspection, he saw blood near the left ear and a gun lying across the body. This is how it was discovered Kurt Cobain . At 8:45 a.m., Gary Smith called the police and the local radio station. Kurt left a suicide note, written in red pen. Below is full text this note.

For Bodda it is spoken

In the language of an experienced simpleton who would prefer to be castrated, an infantile whiner. This note will be fairly easy to understand. All the warnings from 101 Punk Rock Lessons over the years. from my first acquaintance with, say, ethics related to independence and perception of your community, they turned out to be very correct. For many years now I have not felt excited when I listen to or create music, or when I read or write. I can't put into words how embarrassed I am about this. For example, when we're backstage and the lights go down and the crowd begins to roar maniacally, it doesn't move me like Freddie Mercury, who seemed to be in love, basking in the love and adoration of the crowd. This is something I admire and envy immensely. The fact is that I can't fool you. None of you. It's just not fair to you or me. The worst crime I can imagine is ripping people off while pretending I'm having 100% fun. Sometimes I feel like I have to start a timer before going on stage. I tried to do everything in my power to be grateful for it (and I am grateful, Lord, believe me, I am grateful, but it’s not enough). I appreciate that I and we touched and entertained a lot of people. I'm probably one of those narcissists who only appreciates something when it's lost. I'm too sensitive. I need to become a little deaf to get back the enthusiasm I once had as a child. During the last three tours, I have felt much more grateful to all the people I know personally and to the fans of our music, but I still cannot overcome the irritation, guilt and compassion towards everyone. There's good in all of us and I think I just love people too much. So much so that I'm damn sad. Sad little, sensitive, ungrateful, fish, Jesus man! Why don't you just enjoy it? I don't know. I have a goddess wife who oozes ambition and compassion, and a daughter who reminds me too much of who I was. Full of love and joy, kissing everyone she meets because everyone is good and will not harm her. And it terrifies me to the point where I can barely do anything. I can't stand the thought of Frances becoming the same pathetic, self-destructive death rocker that I have become. There are good things in my life, very good things, and I am grateful, but from the age of seven I began to hate all of humanity in general. Just because people seem to find it so easy to get along with each other and have empathy. Sympathy! I think only because I love and sympathize with people too much. Thank you all from the depths of my burning sick stomach for your letters and concern in last years. I have too much of a fickle, capricious child in me! I have no more passion, so remember: it is better to burn out than to fade away. peace, love, compassion. Kurt Cobain

Frances and Courtney, I will be at your altar.

Please don't stop Courtney

for Frances' sake

for her life, which will be much happier

without me. I love you. I love you!

The protocol for the inspection of the scene of the incident was drawn up formally, without in-depth analysis details. According to one version of the investigation, Cobain injected himself with a dose of heroin that was incompatible with life and shot himself in the head with a gun. Also, criminologists concluded that Kurt died on April 5 and his dead body stayed in the house for three days. There is also an assumption about the intentional murder of Kurt. Courtney Love was unofficially included in the list of suspects.

After cremation, some of Cobain's ashes were scattered over the River Wishka in his native Aberdeen, and some were kept by Courtney. An unofficial place of worship in memory of the singer is a memorial bench in Viretta Park, located near last home Cobain in Seattle. The greenhouse above the garage where Kurt's body was found was demolished in 1997 and the house itself was sold.

The personality of Kurt Coben, who died at the age of 27 at the very zenith of his fame, still excites fan hearts. His songs became the anthems of an entire generation. It is never known what brought this guy first to the top of the charts, and then to a locked room with a loaded shotgun...

The father of the future rock musician was a car mechanic, GERMAN by birth. The mother, who gave birth at the age of 19, for several years was both a waitress in a bar and a teacher in kindergarten, and a secretary in the office. Kurt Donald Cobain was born on February 18, 1967 in the city of Hawkeye near Seattle.

When Kurt was 8, his parents divorced. Mom didn't like that her hubby spent more time practicing BASEBALL than his family. This event had a negative impact on the boy - he became withdrawn and preferred loneliness to communicating with other children.

A few years later he moves to live with his father. Soon, Uncle Berl, whom Kurt loved very much, committed suicide. A year later, another uncle Kenneth deliberately shot himself in the stomach with a gun.

Kurt returns to his mother, but she - new family. Due to disagreements, the young man is forced to LEAVE HOME, wander around with friends, and spend the night wherever he has to. Music became an outlet. In 1985, Kurt and his friends put together a group, which soon broke up. However, he soon became close friends with bass guitarist Chris Novoselic, a creative tandem with whom grew into Nirvana. In 1989, their first album, Bleach, was released.

In February 1992, Kurt married the lead singer of the punk band Hole, COURTNEY LOVE. At that time she was already pregnant. In August their daughter, Frances Bean Cobain, is born.

By the time the group's third album, Utero (1993), was released, Cobain began to serious problems WITH DRUGS. One day, Courtney had to call the police - her husband locked himself in the bathroom with a gun and threatened to kill himself. In March 1994, the rocker almost died from an overdose of tranquilizers, which he tried to neutralize the withdrawal symptoms. Doctors believed it was a suicide attempt. Under the influence of his wife, Kurt went to a clinic to be treated for addiction, but soon escaped from it.

The lifeless body of the Nirvana lead singer was discovered on April 8, 1994 by an electrician who came to Vacation home Cobain to debug the security system. A gun lay across the body. According to a medical report, on April 5, the musician again injected himself with drugs and shot himself in the head. His corpse lay in the house for several days.

After this tragic death the idol of a million teenagers, based on the results of several alternative investigations into the musician’s death, several versions of what happened were voiced. Some journalists hinted that KURT WAS KILLED. Among the potential suspects, Courtney's name increasingly appeared. Among the facts allegedly ignored by the police - a dose of heroin was found in the blood of 27-year-old Cobain, 3 times higher than the lethal dose (a person after this would not even have time to raise a gun, immediately falling into a coma), there were no fingerprints on the gun, no traces of gunpowder were found on Kurt's hands... In any case, the case was officially closed. The Nirvana leader's death was ruled a suicide.

20 years later, Washington state law enforcement agencies finally decided to release the contents to the general public. suicide note Cobain. She was added to the materials of the case of the musician’s death, which is still not closed. For a long time the police kept secret the text that was written by the musician before his death.