When Love & Greed Coincide (Kurt Cobain) by Angela Gonzales

The duty of youth is to challenge corruption
-Kurt Cobain

It's been twenty-two years since the death of Kurt Cobain, a grunge rocker from Aberdeen, Washington. He was famous for his role as lead singer and guitarist in the 90's hit rock band Nirvana. In 1991 after the band's first hit single "Smells Like Teen Spirit" from the album Nevermind, his career skyrocketed. It was Aries season, April 5, 1994, and Kurt's death crawled upon him like a thief in the night. Until this day, people are still skeptical as to what really happened to Kurt. Did he really kill himself? Did his wife Courtney Love conspire to kill him? Although his death was ruled a suicide, conspiracy theorists seem to think Courtney had something to do with his death. Let's take a look at some facts about his death.
Lead singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain from the rock band Nirvana, was artistic and reinvented the grunge rock movement in the early 1990's. Kurt was born in a dark, rainy, and muggy town secluded from culture with a high rate of suicide (St. Thomas 6).  Growing up, Kurt was raised with his mother and father until they divorced, but he had a closer relationship with his grandparents Leland and Iris Cobain (Wallace 1). Iris passed away a few years after Kurt did. It is believed by his grandfather that she is who Kurt gets his artistic ways from. 
 "They were so much alike," Leland recalls, pointing to a photo of a strikingly beautiful brunette taken just after the couple were married (Wallace 3). "Kurt
loved his grandmother so much (3). I think he was closer to Iris than he was to his own mother. He got his artistic side from Iris, that's for sure' " ( 3).  
Writing lyrics was a unique talent of his. Kurt wrote the lyrics to most of the songs by the band (St. Thomas 251-275). Even as a young boy, he was artistic.  
Leland takes out a box of drawings Kurt did as a child. One of them, signed "Kurt Cobain, age 6," depicts Donald Duck and shows undeniable artistic talent for one so young. "When I saw that one, I said to Kurt, 'You traced that, you didn’t draw it,' and he got mad; he said to me, 'I did too draw it'". (Wallace 3) 
 His artistic ways were his way of expressing himself. A dark change in Kurt appeared more after his parents' divorce. The blissful times had come to an end in Kurt's young years, the divorce devastated him. 
I just remember all of a sudden not being the same person, feeling like I wasn't worthy anymore. I didn't feel like I deserved to be hanging out with other kids, because they had parents (who lived together) and I didn't anymore." Kurt expressed his unhappiness in his own unique way, sketching rude caricatures of his parents on his bedroom walls, captioning them "Dad sucks, Mom sucks," and " I hate Mom, I hate Dad, Dad hates Mom, Mom hates Dad, it simply wants to make you sad. (St. Thomas 9) 
             He wasn't fond of making friends, he was more of a social outcast. At just three years old, he was diagnosed as "hyperactive" by doctors (St. Thomas 9). This could have had an effect on his later years. Kurt was insecure, never recognizing his own strengths but his aspirations were apparent in his artwork (St. Thomas 8).  
After the divorce, Kurt became internally unstable. It was a huge change in his lifestyle. Kurt started to rebel at home, in school, and around the community. He lived with his mother Wendy and her new boyfriend for the first year. Kurt hated her new boyfriend, later he moved with his father. Kurt and his father Don bonded very much doing things like fishing, hiking, and camping. You could say Kurt enjoyed it because he dealt with nature and he was bonding with his father all in one. But Don wanted Kurt to be in sports, he didn't appreciate art like Kurt did. Don enrolled Kurt in baseball and wrestling. Kurt rebelled by losing his wrestling matches in front of his dad. It was his way of showing his father that he wasn't interested in sports. By Kurt rebelling, it took a toll on their relationship (St. Thomas). Don remarried and that made Kurt even more furious internally. The woman had two other children, Don never disciplined them like he did Kurt. In a way, it gave Kurt feelings of abandonment. His family was torn apart, being forced to adjust (Wallace). His father and him had many disagreements so Kurt was going back and forth between Wendy and Don's homes for the next couple of years.  
Although artistic, Kurt had a lot of pride. Alienated from his family, music became his refuge (Wallace 10). He got his first guitar from his Uncle and began taking lessons. From this moment on, he had no interest in anything like he did music (10). At age sixteen, Kurt Cobain discovered punk rock by a friend Matt Lukin, he met on his baseball team (12) Matt Lukin was apart of a local band named The Melvin's. Kurt would go to the bands' rehearsals that would transform his world. "This is what I was looking for," Kurt wrote in his journal after he saw the band play for the first time behind the local Thriftway (12). "I came to the promised land of a grocery store parking lot and I found my special purpose"(12) Being on his own, living with friends, and sometimes under a bridge, Kurt began selling marijuana to make his way (12). In his Junior year, after learning he would have to repeat eleventh grade, he dropped out of high school and began ventures as he would soon find himself becoming a well known rock star. 
It was apparent that Kurt had the spirit and the artistic mindset to become a rock star. However, In his natural habitat, Kurt's icy blue eyes, long hair, ripped jeans and grimy shoes added to the grungy look he needed to become the ultimate rock star. His success was inevitable.

The fans, friends, and family of Kurt Cobain are skeptical as to what was the real cause; of his death, today it remains a mystery in the eyes of the unknowing. There are two different stories about his death that are believed to be true. With a gunshot wound to the head, Kurt's death was ruled a suicide by forensic analysis' on April 8, 1994 ("Seattle Police Release Photos of Kurt Cobain Suicide Gun"). They claimed he had been deceased for three days already (1). In other theories, there are claims that his wife Courtney Love plotted on the death of Kurt. Twenty people were asked Did Courtney Love conspire to kill Kurt Cobain? Twelve out of twenty disagreed; and eight agreed Courtney did conspire to kill him.  
The first conspiracy theory proposes that Kurt committed suicide by a gunshot to the head. April 8, 1994, Kurt was found deceased in a room above his garage by an electrician ordered to do some repairs Police and investigators found a 20-gauge shotgun laying across his chest (Strauss). Kurt had been missing for six days after he checked himself out from a drug  rehab center in Marina del Rey, California, then left back to Seattle (Grant). A failed suicide attempt by drug overdose of fifty rohypnol pills late March 1994 in Rome was his reason for being in rehab, and this was the reason to believe this was none other than a suicide. Although, Kurt denied these suicide attempt allegations (Strauss). The police immediately concluded "suicide"(Grant).The shotgun and the drugs that they found were all obvious elements to the
conclusion (Strauss). A high concentration of heroin and traces of valium were found in Cobain's bloodstream; he was identifiable only by his fingerprints (1). Kurt's shotgun had been purchased by his best friend Dylan Carlson (1). Kurt told Dylan he didn't want to buy it himself in fear that the police would confiscate it because days earlier they'd confiscated his guns due to a dispute between Courtney and him (1). The gun was bought right before he checked into rehab in California, but police concluded he left it at his Seattle home in Lake Washington, where he would later be found deceased (1). There was also a "suicide" note to Boddah, Kurt's childhood imaginary friend, which was found on top of a planter in the greenhouse with a red pen stuck through the center of the note (1). 
Now let's dig a little deeper into the second conspiracy theory, which claims Courtney Love conspired to kill Kurt Cobain. On April 1 Kurt Cobain fled his rehab canter but made thirteen phone calls prior to Courtney's hotel room (Grant). That night he made another phone call to the hotel and left a brief message for Courtney stating Elizabeth's number, which it is presumed that he would be with this friend Elizabeth (1). Courtney never mentioned this message to the media (1). Tom Grant, a private investigator hired by Courtney Love, was hired to find out who was using Kurt's credit cards(1). Grant and another investigator Ben Klugman went to meet with Courtney that day April 3, 1994, just a few days before Kurt's body was found (1). According to Janet Billig, who managed Courtney Love and her band, after the failed suicide attempt in Rome, Cobain had taken all of his and Courtney's money and was going to run away and disappear (Strauss). When Grant and his colleague Klugman arrived at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly hills Courtney aggressively opened the door with a precise comment "If you leak this to the press, I'll sue the fuck out of you" (Grant). Courtney explained to them that Kurt left rehab, said she lied to the credit card company to cancel his card but wanted Tom to call the credit card
company and find out what the attempted activities were(1). She said, "This is Kurt's only way of funds, so either he's using it or someone else is" (1). Courtney was not sure of the whereabouts of Kurt, but the day before she planted a story in the media about her overdosing so that Kurt would contact her but later claimed somebody else planted the story (1). Grant reminded Courtney that she had admitted to planting the story because he recorded every conversation between him and Courtney, and others throughout this investigation on Kurt (1). When Tom met Courtney, she was rambling about a 9.5 million dollar deal that Kurt was walking away from; she wanted him to do it for Frances, if not for the money (1). She also stated she thought Kurt wanted a divorce, mentioning a prenuptial agreement but reiterated that her name was on all the houses and assets (1). She failed to mention that Kurt had been seen the day before on April 2 by the nanny/friend "Cali", who's real name was Michael Dewitt; Cali was living at the Cobain residence (1). Cali mentioned this to Courtney but yet she still asked Tom to find someone to watch drug dealers apartments and other locations that next day (1). Why was Courtney being incompliant with the investigator that she hired? On April 4, Courtney filed a missing person report pretending to be Wendy O'Connor, Kurt's mother (Grant). 
On April 6, Grant and Dylan Carlson plotted to find Kurt. Grant found that Courtney was luring him to all the wrong places after speaking with Kurt's best friend (Grant). Dylan claimed Kurt was not suicidal; otherwise, he would not have helped him buy a gun (1). Grant was under the impression that Kurt only stayed at the "best hotels" per Courtney, whereas Dylan told Tom that Kurt usually stays in "some pretty ratty places" (1). It became apparent to Tom that some things were not adding up, He had only scratched the surface of this investigation. On April 7, Dylan and Tom looked at the Lake Washington house for Kurt (1). They checked everywhere, but the greenhouse above the garage (1). Grant says the weather could have been the reason for
himself not noticing the room; Dylan did not tell Grant there was a greenroom either (1). Like a normal Seattle day, It was dark and rainy. Dylan made a suspicious comment on how he'd never seen the house that clean before (1). Could someone have been cleaning the house to be ready for an investigation? Cali was the only one residing at the residence in the last few days; his T.V. was on and bed was unmade in his room (1). That night, they returned to Kurt's home and there was a letter Grant and Dylan found on the main stairway, that looked to be for Kurt from Cali stating "I can't believe you managed to be in the house without me noticing. You're a fucking asshole for not calling Courtney" (1). Earlier that day, Dylan spoke with Courtney over the phone and she suggested they go back to the house that night to look for the shotgun (1). Were Courtney, Dylan, and Cali conspiring against Kurt? Cali left this note intended for Kurt, but Courtney did also send them back to the house where she knew they would find this note. Cali is said to have been the last of their own to see Kurt which was supposedly on April 2 (1). Maybe they knew he would soon be found in the greenhouse and wanted to make it look like he got home, hid in the greenhouse, and offed himself?  
The morning of April 8, 1994 Dylan and Grant were back on the hunt for Kurt, but when they stopped for gas Dylan made a phone call (Grant). His friend told him there was a body found at the Cobain residence (1). They turned on the radio only to find out their search for Kurt had come to an end; Kurt was found dead in a greenhouse above his garage (1). Police and investigators claim that Kurt locked himself in that room and had been deceased for approximately three days now (1). Grant tried warning the homicide detectives that there was something wrong in this case, but they didn't take him serious (1). That day Grant spoke with Courtney, she didn't at all seem to be phased with the fact that Grant didn't find Kurt to save him (1). She wanted Grant to talk to the press, but grant declined since he felt he hadn't gathered all
of the facts (1). Did Courtney want Grant to make an argument for her? After all, she did hire the man to investigate Kurt's credit card and his whereabouts before his death, meaning she must not have anything to do with his imminent death.  
In the following weeks and months, Grant continued with his investigation. He was determined to find the missing piece to the puzzle. A key to this missing piece was discovered on April 13, when Rosemary Carroll, Courtney's entertainment attorney, indicated she was suspicious to Courtney's involvement in the rock star's death (Grant). She argued Kurt wasn't suicidal (1). A few weeks before Cobain's death, Courtney asked her to find the meanest, most vicious, divorce lawyer, as well as asking if the prenuptial agreement can be voided (1). The agreement stated she would get half, at best (1). Kurt's record sales would also skyrocket over his death, so that would imply Courtney receiving more income. With Kurt's death would come a lot of publicity, and Courtney gaining total control of the entire Cobain and Nirvana estate (1). Rosemary told Grant that in this same time period Kurt had asked Rosemary if he could take Courtney out of the will which had not been completed yet (1). Everything was coming full circle for grant at this time of comprehension. Grant discovered a possible motive for Courtney involving Kurt's death. A few days later, Ben Klugman met with the electrician who found the body (1). The electrician had some interesting key points to this ongoing investigation. He explained in detail how Kurt was laying with the shotgun and how his hair looked like it had been combed. But, the most valuable piece of his testament was he was ordered to do repairs on lights and motion specifically for the greenhouse requested by Courtney on April 6t just two days before he would find Kurt (1). Did Courtney set this up so that another individual, who had no interaction with Kurt, would find him? 
As Tom went on with the investigation he became more skeptical of Courtney and her true motives for this investigation. In late May he wrote Courtney a letter stating that he was suspicious of her actions (Grant). He realized there were fake stories being planted in the media conflicting with his investigation; also he was going to continue investigating on his own without additional charges (1). In his continuation, he would appreciate Courtney's assistance, but it was no longer required (1). Courtney's response was odd. She wanted grant to keep working with her; hence keeping him on payroll. Grant kept working with Courtney in hope that he would get closer to his conclusion (1). 
In the next few month, Courtney sabotaged Grant's efforts to seek clues from others, such as Kurt's mother, Cali, and Dylan, ordering them to do something as soon as she saw Grant try to pull them aside (Grant). In one incident, Grant set up a meeting with Dylan (1). Courtney gave Dylan a dose of heroin (1). Later, he was not able to function during the meeting, so Grant dismissed him (1). At this point everyone is playing Courtney's game. She would then try to get Grant to sign a confidentiality agreement, in which Grant declined (1). Courtney also mentioned she was going to have Cali and another friend Renee Navarrete to sign this agreement (1). She stated to Grant "Everyone who works for me has to sign it" (1). Could it be that Courtney knew information on her involvement to Kurt's death would soon leak, so she would need something to cover herself legally? 
             Later that year, Courtney admitted to a second note that Kurt left her before he passed (Grant). When Grant asked questions about withholding this vital piece of information, Courtney said "Sgt. Cameron said it will do me no good and I told Rosemary about it" (1). Grant was very skeptical because Rosemary had already given much input for Kurt's death, risking her job, why wouldn’t she tell Grant about this other note? Grants take on the note was that Kurt would be
leaving the group soon, but Courtney portrayed it as a suicidal note (1). Grant believes this note clarifies that the "suicidal note" found at the scene was a farewell note because he was leaving the music business (1).
 Is it likely that Courtney had a friend of theirs help with this murder because Kurt supposedly was wanting to leave the group? Their prominence depended on Kurt's fame and fortune. Did Courtney convince somebody to stop the fall of their empire by Kurt's farewell note?  After examining these points of investigation on Kurt Cobain's case, the two conspiracies still remain: 
1. Did Kurt Cobain Kill himself? 
2. Did Courtney Love conspire to kill Kurt? 


Come as you are, as you were
as I want you to be
as a trend, as a friend
as a known enemy
-Kurt Cobain

His death was ruled a suicide but substantial evidence points towards Courtney as the collaborator to his death. With the given clues it is probable that Kurt Cobain could have killed himself but on the occasion of divorce, Courtney found her motive. 













Works Cited
Egan, Timothy. "Kurt Cobain, Hesitant Poet Of 'Grunge Rock,' Dead at 27." The New York  Times. The New York Times, 1994. Web. 09 May 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/09/obituaries/kurt-cobain-hesitant-poet-of-grunge-rock-dead-at-27.html?pagewanted=all

Grant, Tom. "Summary of Events - The Kurt Cobain Murder Investigation by Tom Grant." Summary of Events - The Kurt Cobain Murder Investigation by Tom Grant. Web. 09 May 2016. http://www.cobaincase.com/events.htm.

"Seattle Police Release Photos of Kurt Cobain Suicide Gun | Fox News." Fox News. FOX News Network, 2016. Web. 09 May 2016. http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2016/03/18/seattle-police-release-photos-kurt-cobain-suicide-gun.html.

Strauss, Neil. "Kurt Cobain's Downward Spiral: The Last Days of Nirvana's Leader." Rolling Stone. 1994. Web. 09 May 2016. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/kurt-cobains-downward-spiral-the-last-days-of-nirvanas-leader-19940602.

Thomas, Kurt St., and Troy Smith. Nirvana: The Chosen Rejects. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2004. Print.

Wallace, Max, and Ian Halperin. Love & Death: The Murder of Kurt Cobain. New York: Atria, 2004. Print.