The story of Kurt Cobain's marriage to Courtney Love

24 February 2024, 10:30

It was the most talked-about relationship in rock music in the 1990s - but how did Kurt and Courtney first meet?

The relationship between Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love of grunge band Hole captured the imagination of the world in the early 1990s. Now, over a quarter of a century after the legend's death, their daughter Frances Bean Cobain is famous in her own right as an artist and a musician. So how did her parents first meet and when - and where - did they marry?

How did Kurt Cobain meet Courtney Love?

Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain formally met in a nightclub in Portland, Seattle, on 12 January 1990, but Love had apparently developed a crush on the Nirvana frontman after seeing him perform at a gig the year before.

Cobain appeared to dismiss Love's advances at first, commenting: "I was determined to be a bachelor for a few months [...] but I knew I liked Courtney so much right away that it was a really hard struggle to stay away from her for so many months."

By the time the pair met, Love was already known for having starred in the Joe Strummer movie Straight to Hell, and Nirvana were growing in fame.

When did they get married?

Not long after making things official, Courtney Love married Nirvana's Kurt Cobain on Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, on 24 February 1992.

Kurt famously wore his pyjamas to the wedding ceremony, while Love donned a white lace and satin gown.

Among the eight guests was Kurt's Nirvana bandmate and the now Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl.

READ MORE: Which Foo Fighters song is about Kurt Cobain?

Who is their daughter Frances Bean Cobain?

At the time of their wedding, Courtney was already pregnant with daughter Frances.

The image of the sonogram is on Nirvana's Lithium single artwork.

Their daughter was born on 18th August 1992. The same year Frances was born, Love gave an interview with Vanity Fair, where she reportedly admitted to using heroin while pregnant, unaware of her condition. Love later claimed she had been misquoted and also stated she had stopped taking drugs upon the news of her pregnancy.

When did Kurt Cobain die?

During Nirvana's tour stop in Munich in 1994, Kurt was diagnosed with bronchitis and severe laryngitis. He was then sent to Rome for medical treatment, where he met wife Courtney Love.

According to Love, she awoke to find Cobain had overdosed on Champagne and Rohypnol. The singer was then rushed to hospital, where he stayed for five days.

After that incident, Cobain and Love had a domestic issue, whereby Love called the police to their Seattle home. Authorities confiscated three guns and some pills from Cobain, who had locked himself in a bedroom upstairs. According to Cobain, he wasn't trying to take his own life, but was hiding from Courtney.

Love and some of Cobain's close friends then staged an intervention to convince Kurt to seek help for his drug use and depression. After some time, Kurt finally agreed to go to rehab in LA.

Cobain then broke out of rehab and got a flight back to Seattle, but friends and family were unaware of whereabouts.

On 8 April 1994, an electrician who was installing an alarm discovered Kurt's body at his home on Lake Washington Boulevard.

Later, the coroner report stated that Cobain had actually died on the 5 April.

What has Courtney Love said about Kurt's death?

Following Kurt's death, Courtney held a vigil for her late husband on 10 April 1994.

The vigil took place at the Seattle Center, with over seven thousand mourners and fans coming to pay their respects to Kurt.

At the vigil, Love read parts of Kurt's suicide note out to the crowd, she also handed out items of Cobain's clothing.

Courtney also gave an interview with Rolling Stone, where she explained: "I used to be able to talk to Kurt more, wherever he is. But now he’s really gone.

"I used to feel like mourning him was really selfish because it would make him feel guilty. And the best thing to do was to pray for him and show him joy, so he could feel the vibration of the joy.

"But now I know he’s dissipated, and he’s gone. There’s not anything left. Not even to talk to."

If you are affected by any of the topics raised in this article, we encourage you to reach out to the Samaritans.

You can call them for free on 116 123, or visit their website at www.samaritans.org.

HEADS TOGETHER

Too often, people feel afraid to admit that they are struggling with their mental health. This fear of prejudice and judgement stops people from getting help and can destroy families and end lives.

Heads Together wants to help people feel much more comfortable with their everyday mental wellbeing and have the practical tools to support their friends and family.

One of their partners is the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), an award-winning charity dedicated to preventing male suicide, the single biggest killer of men under the age of 45 in the UK. In 2015, 75% of all UK suicides were male.

CALM offers support to men in the UK, of any age, who are down or in crisis via our helpline, webchat and website. www.thecalmzone.net

NATIONWIDE: 0800 58 58 58
LONDON: 0808 802 58 58

Calls are free from landlines, payphones and all mobiles.

For more on Heads Together, see www.headstogether.org.ukWorried about someone?

Click here: https://www.thecalmzone.net/help/worried-about-someone/