In this portfolio you will find some information about the death of Nirvanas lead singer, Kurt Cobain.
Introduction
What happened to the lead singer of famous rock band Nirvana? In 1994, Kurt Cobain was found in Seattle unresponsive. “Kurt didn’t commit suicide,” he declares matter-of factly. “He was murdered. I’m sure of it.” (Wallace and Halperin). Cobain died at age 27, which led to the result of many conspiracy theories. Did Kurt Cobain commit suicide to join “Rocks 27 club” (Sounes)? Was Kurt Cobain actually murdered by wife, Courtney Love? Did Kurt Cobain hire a hitman and cover it up as suicide? Let’s look at the possibility that Kurt Cobain was murdered by wife, Courtney Love.
Character Analysis
Kurt Cobain, lead singer of rock and roll band Nirvana, is seen as a mysterious individual. Cobain fit all the stereotypes of the typical “bad boy,” long blonde hair, in a band, listens to rock music along with making rock music, and was associated with drugs and alcohol, when in fact, Cobain was the opposite of a mysterious bad boy. “A lot of it has to do with Kurt being so enigmatic. When we came back to Seattle, we saw what they [Seattle Times] wrote about him. They said, with one performance on MTV, Nirvana dispelled the drug rumor. It’s all because of the way he looked. Kurt was glowing because he shaved and cut his hair. Things have changed.” (Spin). Cobain was very eager to talk about his life and would not hesitate to give all his effort into something whether that be in his music or an interview, which is seen as a shocker as many would assume Cobain to be your stereotypical rockstar.
In high school he stated that he wasn’t really social, but when looking at Cobain preforming “The Man Who Sold The World” in Seattle in 1993, you can see how Cobain always appeared to be collected and calm. Along with giving interviews, Cobain would answer the questions thoroughly and not just give the typical one worded response. he was just given the typical bad boy reputation by the type of music he made. Although, throughout his life, Cobain was not always this social. “I was a scapegoat, but not in the sense that people picked on me all the time. They did not pick on me or beat me up because I was already so withdrawn by that time. I was so antisocial that I was almost insane. I felt so different and so crazy that people just left me alone.” (The Lost Interview). This shows how Cobain has grown socially and how his music career has helped him grow in confidence.
Kurt Cobain was not just your typical rockstar, he was a caring person who was a family man. When not touring, Cobain would come back to his hometown in Washington and spend every chance he could with his family. Cobain was a big family guy. “Kurt loved his grandmother so much. I think she was the only member of the family who he could confide in. I think he was closer to Iris than he was to his own mother. He got his artistic side from Iris, that’s for sure” (Wallace and Halperin). Even when on tour, Cobain made sure to always keep in touch with his grandparents, since they raised him. One Christmas, Cobain sent his grandparents a Christmas card while he was away on tour saying “Dear long lost grandparents: I miss you very much. Which is no excuse for my not visiting…. We put out a single just recently and it has sold-out already…. I’m happier than I have ever been. It would be nice to hear from you as well, Merry Christmas. Love, Kurt” (Wallace and Halperin). This shows how Cobain truly cares about his family, is a social person, calm and collected, and is not the “bad boy” everyone portrayed him to be.
Conspiracy Theories
27 Club
The first theory is that Kurt Cobain committed suicide simply to join “27 Club”. This club got famously popular after Cobain’s death. The 27 Club is believed to be a club that musicians join when they suddenly pass away at the age of twenty-seven. Many musicians are said to be part of this club such as Amy Winehouse, Jimi Hendrix, and of course Kurt Cobain. “While the club has been largely connected to musicians, it has expanded since, many young actors and artists have lost their lives due to everything from addiction to suicide to freak accidents.” (Rolling Stone). This theory is popular because every other person who is a part of the 27 club were rock and roll artists as well. These members all had similar qualities such as being known to drink and do drugs; “Meanwhile, Kurt’s Mother, Wendy O’Connor, had arrived on the scene, where she told reporter from the Associated Press, “Now he’s gone and joined that stupid club. I told him not to join that stupid club,” (Wallace and Halperin). Due to Wendy O’ Connor, Kurt Cobain’s mother, saying that he joined this club started the conspiracy that his suicide was only to join in on rock and roll 27 club.
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When taking a deeper look into the death of Kurt Cobain, many popular conspiracy theories rise. One of the theories is that Kurt Cobain committed suicide to join rocks “27 club”, which is a club where famous rockstars decide to take their lives once reaching the age of twenty-seven. Another very popular theory is his wife, Courtney Love, murdered him. This theory started by private investigator, Tom Grant, who worked the Kurt Cobain case, claimed that he was murdered by wife Courtney Love (Margaritoff).
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Murdered?
The second theory is that Kurt Cobain’s wife, Courtney Love, had murdered Cobain and covered it up as a suicide. Kurt Cobain suffered from drug addiction and depression; a few days before his body was found it was said he heroin in his system and Cobain had run away from the Exodus Recovery Center (Margaritoff). This is where private investigator Tom Grant was hired by Cobain’s wife, Courtney Love, in hopes to find her husband. The police department were also notified about a missing person by Wendy O’Connor, Kurt Cobain’s mother, but it was later revealed by Grant that it was actually Love who reported her husband missing but under her mother in laws name (Margaritoff). This rose some suspicion towards Love. Why would she pretend to be her mother-in-law to report her missing husband? Once Cobain’s body was found the police department declared it was suicide, which didn’t sit right with Grant. Tom Grant, private investigator of the Kurt Cobain case, believes that Courtney Love murdered her husband. “There are several reasons why Tom Grant thinks Kurt Cobain was murdered. But at the core of his reasoning lies the belief that Cobain couldn’t have injected himself with such a large amount of heroin — three times a lethal dose — and then been able to shoot himself.” (Margaritoff). It is also believed by fans that Courtney Love had something to do with the death of her husband because she was very cooperative during the investigation (Margaritoff). Therefore, Cobain’s wife, Courtney Love, is suspected to have murdered her husband and covered it up as a suicide.
Conclusion
Kurt Cobain’s death is remained with 2 unsolved questions
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Did Kurt Cobain commit suicide to join rock and roll 27 club?
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Was Kurt Cobain Murdered by wife Courtney Love?
Twenty-eight years later, the death of lead singer Nirvana and rock and roll legend will remain a conspiracy and continue to leave everyone wondering what truly happened to the blue-eyed blonde-haired boy. Courtney Love is still believed to be the suspect of this tragic death.
