Kurt Cobain (8)

Kurt Cobain
1967-1994
Reluctant spokesman for a generation
here
Cause of Death: Suicide
Dough from Woe: Worth less than $1 million when he died, Cobain’s future royalties were valued at $100 million.
Smells Like Mean Spirit: Posthumous Nirvana releases have been dogged by undignified wrangling over Nirvana LLC, the partnership established by widow Courtney Love, drummer Dave Grohl and bassist Krist Novoselic to control the band’s musical legacy. While 1994’s Unplugged in New York and the live compilation From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah proved no problem, the band’s final studio track, “You Know You’re Right,” emerged on a 2002 greatest-hits set only in return for Love’s handing over some demos for use on the box set With the Lights Out. Kurt on Camera: While the documentary Kurt & Courtney investigated conspiracy theories surrounding Cobain’s death, Gus Van Sant’s Last Days—a meandering account of the death of a junkie rock idol called Blake, loosely based on Cobain—might have been more to Kurt’s taste.
Dear Diary: In 2002, Love received a reported $4 million for the rights to publish Cobain’s journals, even though one entry cites “the rape of my personal thoughts” as Cobain’s reason for his dislike of fame.