Kurt Cobain

Son of Donald Cobain and Wendy Fradenburg. Grandson of Leland Cobain and Iris Cobain née LaBrot and Charles Fradenburg and Peggy Fradenburg née Irving. His parents married in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho on July 31, 1965. They had a son and a daughter while they were married to each other. Kurt, born February 20, 1967 and Kimberly, born on April 24, 1970. They divorced in 1976.

His 3 favorite films are Paris, Texas (1984), - as stated on the "Nevermind - It's An Interview" CD; Over the Edge (1979); and Rear Window (1954).

Samples of Cobain-penned song lyrics: "I'm a negative creep and I'm stoned" ("Negative Creep," 1989)... "She keeps it pumpin' straight to my heart" ("Aneurysm," 1990)... "And I forget just why I taste/oh yeah, I guess it makes me smile/I found it hard, it's hard to find/oh well, whatever, nevermind" ("Smells Like Teen Spirit," 1991)... "My heart is broke/but I have some glue/help me inhale/and mend it with you/we'll float around/and hang out on clouds/then we'll come down/and have a hangover" ("Dumb," 1993)... "I'll keep fighting jealousy/until it's fucking gone" ("Lounge Act," 1991)... "The animals I've trapped/have all become my pets" ("Something in the Way," 1991)... "Things have never been so swell/I have never failed to feel pain" ("You Know You're Right," 1994)... "All in all is all we all are" ("All Apologies," 1993).

Daughter, Frances Bean Cobain, born. [18 August 1992]

Played a trick on the MTV brass when he began Nirvana's appearance at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards by playing the first few chords of the song "Rape Me" and singing the first verse. He then quickly switched to playing "Lithium", the song the band had agreed to play in the show as a compromise with MTV executives. Cobain had wanted to sing the then-new song "Rape Me", while MTV's bigwigs wanted the band to lead off the show with their signature song, "Smells Like Teen Spirit". The two sides settled on a mid-show rendition of "Lithium".

At the Video Music Awards in 1992, Nirvana was originally supposed to play "Smells like Teen Spirit". Kurt refused and they ended up playing "Lithium".

Nirvana won the 1993 Brit Award for International Breakthrough Act.

The last movie he watched before his death was The Piano (1993).

Was runner-up for Best Songwriter of 1994 in "Rolling Stone" magazine's annual critics' poll. He ranked between Freedy Johnston and Sam Phillips, who placed 1st and 3rd in the poll, respectively.

According to his widow, Courtney Love, Cobain left behind 109 unreleased, recorded songs when he died in 1994. Some are just song fragments, some music "collages", and about eight are acoustic numbers that Love deems good enough for release. One song, "Stinking of You", which he wrote with Love, includes the line "Stinking of you...I don't care if my life is shattered, it's my point of view..."

In a 2008 NME magazine interview, Courtney Love claimed that Cobain turned down the role of Lance in Pulp Fiction (1994). The part was eventually taken by Eric Stoltz.

Posthumous album "Nirvana: Mtv Unplugged" earned him and Nirvana a 1995 Grammy. It was the only Grammy they won.

His most popular songs include "About a Girl", "Been a Son", "Negative Creep", "Aneurysm", "Dive", "Sliver", "Smells Like Teen Spirit", "Lithium", "In Bloom", "Polly", "Something in the Way", "Heart-Shaped Box", "Rape Me", "Dumb", "Pennyroyal Tea", "All Apologies" and "You Know You're Right" (written and recorded shortly before his death but not officially released until October 2002).

Named 12th greatest guitar player of all-time by Rolling Stone magazine in 2003.

Has been voted as "the greatest rock'n'roll hero of all time" by the readers of "NME" magazine (10 May 2006).

Surpassed Elvis Presley to become the world's top-earning dead celebrity. The late Nirvana front man raked in £26.3 million from beyond the grave during 2006, according to US business website Forbes.com.