Kurt Cobain's Smells Like Teen Spirit guitar sells for $4.5m

23 May 2022, 14:03 | Updated: 23 May 2022, 14:04

The guitar used in the iconic Nirvana video was only expected to fetch between $600,000 to $800,000.

Kurt Cobain's "favourite" guitar which he used in the Smells Like Teen Spirit video has been sold for $4.5million.

The late Nirvana frontman famously used the blue 1969 Fender Mustang electric guitar in the the band's iconic video back in 1991 and now it has fetched $4,550,000 (£3,448,422.25) at Julien's Auctions.

The music memorabilia was bought by Indiana Colts owner Jim Irsay, who told Rolling Stone: "I am thrilled to preserve and protect another piece of American culture that changed the way we looked at world. The fact that a portion of the proceeds will go toward our effort to kick the stigma surrounding mental health makes this acquisition even more special to me."

Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit (Official Music Video)

QUIZ: Do you know the words to Smells Like Teen Spirit?

The iconic guitar was initially owned by the Cobain family and was displayed as part Jim Irsay’s extensive collection of rock memorabilia before the collector was able to take full ownership of by purchasing it at auction.

Cobain dubbed the Fender Mustang as his favourite guitar, saying back in 1991 in an interview with Guitar World, saying: "... Out of all the guitars in the whole world, the Fender Mustang is my favourite. I've only owned two of them."

According to reports, the Cobain family intend donate a portion of the sale to the NFL team’s Kicking The Stigma mental health awareness campaign.

In a press statement, Julien’s Auctions president and CEO Darren Julien said: it was “one of our greatest privileges and most distinguished honours” to be able to auction the guitar.

He added: “Rarely do personally owned items from Kurt Cobain with this incredible and unprecedented provenance of his life and career become available for public sale.”

Ahead of the auction, the guitar was displayed at the Hard Rock Cafe in London, where fans could see the rock artefact in the flesh for free.

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