Kurt Donald Cobain(February 20, 1967– April 5, 1994)[1]was an American musician, artist, songwriter, guitarist and poet.
Born inAberdeen, Washington, Cobain formed the bandNirvanawithKrist Novoselicin 1987 and established it as part of the Seattle music scene andgrungegenre.
Nirvana's debut albumBleachwas released on the independent record labelSub Popin 1989.
After signing with major labelDGC Records, the band found breakthrough success with "Smells Like Teen Spirit" from their second albumNevermind(1991).
Following the success ofNevermind, Nirvana was labeled "the flagship band" ofGeneration X, and Cobain hailed as "the spokesman of a generation".
[2]Cobain, however, was often uncomfortable and frustrated with that label, believing his message and artistic vision to have been misinterpreted by the public, with his personal issues often subject to media attention.
During the last years of his life, Cobain struggled withheroinaddiction, chronic health problems and depression.
He also had difficulty coping with his fame and public image, and the professional and personal pressures surrounding himself and his wife, musicianCourtney Love.
On April 8, 1994, Cobain was found dead at his home inSeattle, the victim of what was officially ruled a suicide by a self - inflicted shotgun wound to the head.
The circumstances ofhis deathat age 27have become a topic of public fascination and debate.
Since their debut, Nirvana, with Cobain as a songwriter, has sold over 25million albums in the U.
S. , and over 75million worldwide.
Cobain was posthumously inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Famein 2014, along with Nirvana bandmatesKrist NovoselicandDave Grohl, in their first year of eligibility.