Kurt Cobain Died 19 Years Ago, But Legacy Lives On

Kurt Cobain died 19 years ago in his Seattle home from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Were he still alive, he’d be 46-years-old.

At 27, Kurt Cobain had both fame and critical notoriety for his work as the lead singer and writer of many of Nirvana’s hit songs. When he died in 1994, he was survived by his wife, Courtney Love, daughter Frances Bean Cobain and the legacy of having fronted a truly iconic 90s grunge band. The tragedy of the sentient frontman’s death continues to cause both avid and causal fans to give pause.

Not only did Cobain come to epitomize the voice of a generation, his songs have survived into the next. Blending rough vocals that ranged from a whisper to a scream, blaring instrumentals and evocative and thoughtful lyrics, his legacy, bound up in Nirvana’s, lives on. Nirvana has sold over 25 million albums in the U.S., and over 50 million worldwide.

Dave Grohl, Cobain’s former bandmate and Foo Fighters frontman, is currently promoting a documentary about Nirvana. Called Sound City, the documentary features ample footage of the band’s recording of hit “Nevermind.” A documentary centering on Cobain specifically might also be in the works. Love, who’d been married to Cobain when he died, is apparently working with director Brett Morgen to make the project a reality.

There has also been talk of creating a biopic about Cobain’s life, although no feature film is currently in production.