On This Day In History: Nirvana's Kurt Cobain is found dead at 27

Kurt Cobain, lead singer of the rock band Nirvana, is found dead three days after committing suicide in his Seattle home. His death launched a world-wide outpouring of grief among millions of Nirvana fans. Cobain's "grunge" band transformed rock music in the early 1990s and, although he did not accept the title, Cobain himself was considered the spokesperson for "Generation X."

Cobain grew up in the small logging town of Aberdeen, WA. His life was thrown into turmoil after his parents divorced as Cobain lived with different family members over the next few years. He learned guitar as a teenager and developed a love of the Beatles. Angry and alienated in high school, Cobain found a love of local hardcore punk bands around the Seattle area. He dropped out of high school a few weeks before his graduation and worked as a janitor by day, playing music at night. He formed Nirvana in 1987 with his childhood friend Krist Novoselic and it provided Cobain an outlet for his anger and cynicism.

The band, heavily influenced by late-1970s punk, helped develop Seattle's "grunge" sound. Nirvana became an underground hit with its debut album, Bleach, in 1989, which they spent $606.17 recording. The album sold 35,000 copies. After a bidding war, the band signed with DGC for a $287,000 advance and released Nevermind, in 1991. The first single Smells Like Teen Spirit became the anthem for a generation. Nevermind, an album which most people hoped would sell 150,000 copies, eventually sold more then 10 million worldwide.

Cobain never seemed to be comfortable with his newfound fame as Nirvana became the one the biggest and most sought after bands in the world. Despite getting married and having a child in 1992, Cobain never seemed to be comfortable in his own skin.
Suffering from stomach problems since childhood, Cobain tried to easy the pain with drugs. In 1993, Cobain overdosed on heroin twice and, while in Rome in early 1994, attempted suicide by overdosing on the tranquilizer Rohypnol.After a brief attempt at rehab, Cobain killed himself with a single gunshot to the head on April 5, 1994. His body wasn't discovered for three days. Cobain joined other rock legends who died at the age of 27, including Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.

Three posthumously released Nirvana albums, MTV Unplugged in New York, From The Muddy Banks Of The Wishkah and the self-titled Nirvana have all topped the Billboard charts. Rolling Stone Magazine listed Nevermind at No. 17 on the list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl went on to front another multi-platinum band, the Foo Fighters.