In
1994, the world was shocked to learn that Kurt Cobain, the singer for
“Nirvana”, had committed suicide. There was no question that the singer was
troubled; Cobain had many personal problems as well as drug issues (“Kurt Cobain”).
This was expressed in his lyrics and interviews as well. However, were these
problems enough to drive Cobain to suicide, or was there foul play? Many people
seem to suspect that the singer was murdered by his wife, Courtney Love (1).
Kurt Cobain’s story must be revisited to discover how this theory could be
true.
Kurt
Donald Cobain was born on February 20, 1967, and grew up in a small working
class logging town of Aberdeen, Washington (“Kurt Cobain Biography”). Cobain
was interested in music at a very young age, he sang and played piano at the
young age of only four years old (1). He was known as an extremely happy
child who loved art and music (1). However, everything changed when his parents
were divorced when Cobain was only eight years old (“Kurt & Courtney). This
event had an extremely negative impact on Cobain’s childhood. Cobain was
subsequently passed around to various relatives and friends while his parents
were separated (1). He even lived under a bridge for a span of time, this was
immortalized in Nirvana’s track, “something in the way” (1). He developed a
rebellious demeanor that would later be illustrated in his music.
At the age of 14, Cobain acquired his first guitar. This provided an escape for
the artist from all melancholy in his life (“Kurt Cobain Biography”). His home
life was still extremely turbulent, with an abusive step-father on his mother’s
side, and bitterness towards his father for remarrying another woman with
children (1). The young musician felt extremely isolated in his home life.
Furthermore, he was bullied by kids at his school for pursuing art and music
instead of sports (1). Cobain was even bullied for being extremely skinny,
which led to him wearing ridiculous amounts of layers to his clothing (Kurt &
Courtney). By his senior year, Cobain decided to drop out and completely commit
himself to his music (1). After befriending bass player Krist Novoselic, the
two musicians formed the band Nirvana in 1987 (1). The band would later be
joined by drummer, Dave Grohl. By 1989, the band would release their first
album, Bleach, and would be on their way to fortune and fame in the
early 90’s.
Kurt
Cobain was described as a quiet, down to earth, and a great listener by those
close to him (Kurt & Courtney). One of Kurt’s friends said “He is one of
the few people who actually want to listen when you’re having a conversation
with him” (1). He is described as being introverted, and never wanted attention
drawn to him (1). Cobain is even described as being embarrassed when it came to
his success (1). Cobain felt as if the glamorous lifestyle was phony, and just
simply not him. The more famous the artist became, the more he felt isolated
according to those close to him (1). It seemed as if the isolation he felt at
the height of his career reflected the same isolation he felt as a child. The
life of a famous rock star never represented who Kurt Cobain was as a person.
During the late 1980’s, Cobain developed a heroin addiction. He claimed that
heroin helped cure his stomach pains, which apparently kept him in pain for
days (“Kurt Cobain Biography”). However, when he met female rocker, Courtney
Love, his addiction spiraled out of control (1). There are many who say Love is
the one caused his habit to continue to grow. Their heroin addiction began to
be scrutinized by the media after Nirvana’s success (1). There were many
allegations that Love was using heroin during her pregnancy with Cobain’s
child, which caused much negative attention towards the couple and their exploits
(1).
Love and Cobain’s relationship baffled those who were around them because they
seemed to be polar opposites (Kurt & Courtney). Kurt was an introvert who
wanted simple things and a simple lifestyle. Courtney on the other hand, was extremely
social and seemed as if her only goal was to steal the show (1). The reason
Cobain was probably drawn to her is her ability to draw attention away from him
and unto herself, because Kurt never wanted the attention.
Once
the news made its way out, nearly the entire world was brought to tears. On
April 8, 1994, Kurt Cobain’s body was discovered at his residence in Seattle,
his body having laid on the floor for four days (Kurt & Courtney). A fired
shotgun and a suicide note rested by his side (1). The investigation that
followed quickly ruled the case a suicide. The Seattle PD determined that
Cobain took three times the lethal dose of heroin before shooting himself in
the head with a shotgun (The Kurt Cobain Conspiracy). Cobain was a
beloved celebrity rock star, who inspired millions of people through his
musical talent. When someone with such a high profile suddenly dies, a great
number of people begin to ask questions, and conspiracy theories surrounding
the rock star’s death quickly emerge. There is a substantial amount of theories
about Cobain’s death, however, there on only really two worth mentioning. The
first is the theory that Courtney Love hired a hitman to murder Kurt Cobain.
The second theory is that the lead singer for “Nirvana” actually faked his own
death.
The conspiracy theory that Courtney Love, Kurt Cobain’s wife, murdered her
husband is by far the most popular. This theory is actually far more realistic
than the other one. There is actually a fair amount of evidence that may
suggest that the Courtney murder theory may be true. The evidence needs to be
analyzed in order to determine if Cobain committed suicide or was murdered by
the mother of his child. Courtney Love certainly had the most powerful motive
to kill Cobain. At that time, the couple had been going through relationship
problems (Kurt & Courtney). There was even rumor that Cobain wanted a
divorce (1). This is important, because a divorce would only have left Love
with half of Cobain’s money at best. However, if Cobain were to commit suicide,
it would result in Love receiving everything he owns, which is exactly what
happened (1).
On
April 3rd, 1994, Love called a private detective, Tom Grant, to
track down her missing husband, who had escaped over the wall at the Exodus
rehab clinic in Los Angeles the previous day (Kurt & Courtney). Five days
later on April 8th, Cobain’s body was discovered by the house maid,
inside his Seattle home. (1). It is worth mentioning that Cobain overdosed on
heroin, and possibly attempted suicide in Rome the previous month (1). The
following events included an intervention by Courtney Love, who was concerned
over her husband’s heroin addiction, just two weeks before her husband’s death
(The Kurt Cobain Conspiracy). The intervention led to Cobain checking himself
into the rehab facility (1). The rehab facility did not report Cobain as having
a suicidal mindset (1).
The
private detective that Courtney Love hired on April 3rd was Tom
Grant, who was a former Los Angeles sheriff’s deputy (Kurt & Courtney).
To this day, Tom Grant is convinced that Kurt Cobain was murdered (1). Grant
believes that Love used Cobain from the very beginning for his fame and
fortune, and when he wanted out of the marriage, she murdered him (1). Grant
asserts that Love “married Kurt for the sole purpose of furthering her career,
and obtaining some wealth. I think there was a plan formulated quite a while
back on how this was going to end up some day.” (Kurt & Courtney). Grant
also implied that Love encouraged Cobain to commit suicide, which has been
already established that this would leave Love with all of her husband’s wealth
(1). Although Grant’s theory logically makes sense, the evidence needs to be
reviewed in order to prove the theory.
It
is true that there were many strange occurrences at the crime scene for
Cobain’s apparent suicide; one of them is the fact that the shotgun that Cobain
used had no fingerprints, suggesting someone had wiped them (The Kurt Cobain
Conspiracy). Many people who believe in the murder theory use this information
as evidence to prove their opinion. Although it is somewhat suspicious as to
why there were no prints, it just isn’t enough evidence to make the case. The
experts agreed.
Another
major argument in the Cobain murder theory is the assumption that Kurt Cobain
used so much heroin that there was no possible way he could have picked up the
shotgun to kill himself. Some people have trouble believing that Cobain had the
ability to kill himself with a shotgun with so much heroin coursing through his
body. Believers of this theory throw around the term “Three times the legal
dose of heroin,” to argue their case (McDonnell and Cantrell 1). The fact is a
person who uses heroin more often would have a much higher lethal dose than
someone who didn’t use as much (1). Cobain was an avid heroin user who
had built up an extremely high tolerance for the drug, so it probably would
have taken a moment for the effects to kick in (1). Despite his high tolerance,
three times the legal dose of heroin is an incredible amount of heroin. It is
somewhat hard to believe Cobain had the tolerance for that kind of dose. The
most logical explanation would be that the injected heroin took some time to
kick in before he would have been rendered unable to handle a shotgun. Dr.
Collin Brewer, former director at Westminster Hospital, determined it would
take thirty seconds to one minute for the heroin to take effect. This would
leave Cobain plenty of time to pick up a shotgun and pull the trigger (Kurt
& Courtney).
Kurt
Cobain’s death came with a suicide note that has raised many questions about
his death because the suicide note has seemingly two different handwritings.
The first set of handwriting doesn’t seem to imply suicide, but the second
clearly suggests that Cobain was about to take his own life (Shelton 1). Murder
theory supporters believe that the perpetrator finished a letter that Cobain
was writing to make it look like a suicide note (1). Tom Grant has several
opinions on the letter:
My own tests with that so-called
'suicide' note indicated that when it is enlarged on a copy machine, the
inconsistencies [sic] become even more clear. The ink printed line of that
one critical comment, ("which will be so much happier without
me"), are thinner than all of the ink printed lines in the rest
of the note. At the very least, this indicates that line was
added after the rest of the note was completed. The pressure from the
hand using the pen to add that line was not consistent with the pressure from
the hand that wrote the body of the note. (Shelton 1)
Mr.
Grant makes an interesting point; the cutoff is extremely clear and the note
clearly shifts focus to indicate a suicide. However, there is a possibility
that Cobain started the note, then finished it later while he was high. That
could explain why the second set of handwriting is sloppier and the pressure is
not consistent. Furthermore, the forensic experts clearly stated that it was
indeed Kurt Cobain’s handwriting. It is probably best to trust the experts’
opinions in this case.
Another theory that could possibly be true is that Kurt Cobain faked his own
death (Shelton). Although this sounds bizarre, it would not be surprising
considering Kurt Cobain’s internal issues at the time. Cobain was with a wife
he was always fighting with, and who also has a reputation for being insane and
violent (Kurt and Courtney). Also, Cobain clearly hated being famous It just
wasn’t the lifestyle he wanted to live (1). It would not be so far-fetched to imagine
Kurt Cobain just wanting to run away from it all. Although this theory is fun
to imagine, it is extremely hard to believe that the authorities identified the
wrong body. It is ridiculous to believe that Cobain killed someone who looked
just like him, and made it seem like he died violently. Also, the forensic
experts probably would have realized that the body was not his given the
technology at that time.
Kurt Cobain’s suicide is not that hard to believe in the
end. It is very clear that Cobain was going through an extremely difficult
time, and Courtney Love certainly did not help. The rock star’s personal
problems rapidly increased once Love became involved in his life (Kurt &
Courtney). This is why so many people believe that Love was involved in murdering
Kurt Cobain. It simply seems like something she would do based on her
character. However, there just isn’t enough evidence to accuse Courtney Love of
murder. It was not a secret that Cobain was extremely depressed. All of the
people close in Cobain’s life confirmed his depression and believe that he
committed suicide (Kurt & Courtney). People should just celebrate the life
of Kurt Cobain for what he did for the music industry, and finally move on.
Works
Cited
“Kurt Cobain.” Biography.com, A&E Networks
Television, 28 Apr. 2017, www.biography.com/people/kurt-cobain-9542179.
(T)
“Kurt Cobain Biography.” Rolling Stone, www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/kurt-cobain/biography.
(S)
Shelton,
Jacob. “Was Kurt Cobain's Death Really A Suicide Or Was It Something
More?” Ranker, www.ranker.com/list/kurt-cobain-murder-conspiracies/jacob-shelton?var=10&utm_expid=16418821-358.Sk1eDip9T8eLT3fHkSERJQ.1&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F.
(S)
McDonnell,
Douglas A, and M Asher Cantrell. “5 Conspiracy Theories That Are Shockingly
Easy to Debunk.” Cracked.com, www.cracked.com/article_20466_5-conspiracy-theories-that-are-shockingly-easy-to-debunk.html.
(T)
“The
Kurt Cobain Conspiracy .” Alltime Conspiracies, 28 Mar. 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZdTQ1GEObE.
(S)
Broomfield,
Nick, director. Kurt & Courtney. 27 Feb. 1998, www.netflix.com/search?q=kurt%20&jbv=1193180&jbp=1&jbr=0.
(S)
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