Kurt Cobain left a drug rehab center in Marina Del Rey California on April 1, 1994 and was later reported missing. The lead singer of the grunge band Nirvana, was found dead at his home in Seattle, Washington.
The Seattle Police Department incident report states: "Kurt Cobain was found with a shotgun across his body, had a visible head wound and there was a suicide note discovered nearby."
The beloved singer, who suffered with heroin addiction and mental illness, was discovered by electrician Gary Smith, who had arrived to install a security system.
Coming up to a room above the garage, Gary thought Kurt was asleep until he saw how a gun was pointing at his chin.
They found a high concentration of heroin and a small amount of diazepam in Kurt's body.
The life story of one of the finest musicians of the time started in Aberdeen as an 8-year-old kid who loved to draw cartoons from his favourite comic strips. Even though he wasn't much appreciated at the time, his life was perfect.
However, this lasted only until he was shuffled between homes of relatives after his parents got a divorce. Soon, he came to hate his parents for this. He lived with his aunt and uncle since then. On his 14th birthday, he got a guitar as a present. Years later, Kurt dropped out of school, picking music over education.
He jammed day and night with his friends and came up with a band name, Nirvana, freedom from all suffering.
Their songs Smells like teen spirit, Lithium, Come as you are, About a girl and many more became anthems for an entire generation as Nirvana became the Kings of Grunge.
When success hit them with the packed concerts and overwhelming number of fans, Kurt Cobain became the God of Rock music. Everything was perfect again.
The fame and attention became one of Kurt's Demons. He had a hard time fighting them.
He found himself abusing drugs like marijuana and heroin more than ever.
There was some relief in 1990 when Cobain met his match in an edgy rocker named Courtney Love. The two met at a show at the Portland, Oregon nightclub Satyricon.
In 1991, Nirvana signed with a major label called Geffen Records. Later that year, Cobain and Love started a whirlwind relationship. They both did drugs and often used to do them together. In February 1992, they got married and Love gave birth to their daughter Frances Bean Cobain in August.
When love told 'Vanity Fair' that she had taken heroin at the time of pregnancy, they found themselves under investigation.
After a costly legal battle, they gained the custody of their daughter.
Their relationship was never the same again and became more strained. Soon, Cobain was arrested for assault when they were fighting over Cobain storing guns.
Nirvana's highly acclaimed album In Utero was released in September 1993 and went to the top of the album charts. It contained more tender moments with "Heart-Shaped Box," which is supposed to be about his marriage to Love.
The album was described as having "a startling level of anger, energy, and jaded intelligence."
On March 4, 1994, while in his hotel room in Rome, Italy, he attempted suicide with an overdose of drugs. He was rushed to the hospital in a coma after Love found him unconscious.
On April 5, 1994, in the guest house behind his Seattle home, a 27-year-old Cobain committed suicide. Placing shotgun into his mouth, he had fired.. killing himself instantly. He left a suicide note in which he addressed his wife and young daughter as well as his fans. He was found on April 8th after he had gone missing for several days.
"I haven't felt the excitement of listening to as well as creating music, along with really writing... for too many years now."
Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl said of the death:
"I remember the day after that I woke up and I was heartbroken that he was gone. I just felt like, 'Okay, so I get to wake up today and have another day and he doesn't'."
There have been various conspiracy theories surrounding the death of this legendary artist. Many say that it wasn't a suicide and he was indeed murdered.
The common theory among fans is that Courtney Love orchestrated Kurt's death and made it look like a suicide.
And its creator Tom Grant - the very private investigator who Courtney hired to track down Kurt at the end of March 1994. Tom Grant even got former Seattle police chief Norm Stamper to state he thinks the case should be reopened.
His death is officially believed a result of suicide given his history of mental illness, drug abuse and the suicide note that was found.
Despite all this , almost all Kurt's friends and family have supported the suicide verdict.
As for the accusations on Love, the popular belief was that she had slept her way to the top through a succession of rock stars, and that Cobain had secretly written her best songs.
Love did not fulfil expectations for the fans of the dutiful rock wife before Cobain's death or of a grieving widow afterwards.
She went straight on tour after his death rather than staying at home for grieving which only fuels the argument for conspiracy theorists and fans of Kurt Cobain who hate her. However, there was no evidence of murder.
Here is the eulogy given at a memorial two days after Kurt was found dead by Nirvana's Krist Novoselic.
"On behalf of Dave, Pat, and I, I would like to thank you all for your concern at this time. We remember Kurt for what he was: Caring, generous, and sweet. Let's keep the music with us. We'll always have it. Forever. Kurt had an ethic towards his fans that was rooted in the punk rock way of thinking. No band is special, no player royalty. But if you've got a guitar and a lot of soul just bang something out and mean it. You're the superstar. Plugged in the tones and rhythms that are uniquely and universally human: music. Heck... use your guitar as a drum, just catch the groove and let it flow out of your heart. That's the level Kurt spoke to us on: in our hearts, and that's where he, and the music, will always be, forever."
