Death of Kurt Cobain
On April 8, 1994, Kurt Cobain was discovered in the greenhouse above his garage at his Lake Washington house by Veca Electric employee Gary Smith. Smith arrived at the house in the morning to install security lighting and saw Cobain lying inside. Smith found what he thought might be a suicide note with a pen stuck through it beneath an overturned flowerpot. A shotgun, purchased for Cobain by Dylan Carlson, was found resting on Cobain's chest. Cobain's death certificate stated that his death was a result of a "contact perforating shotgun wound to the head", and concluded his death a suicide. The report estimated Cobain to have died on April 5, 1994.
Advocates of the verdict (death by self-inflicted gunshot wound) cite Cobain's persistent drug addiction, clinical depression, and handwritten suicide note as conclusive proof. Members of Cobain's family have also noted patterns of depression and instability in Kurt before he achieved fame. Cobain himself mentioned that his stomach pains from an undiagnosed stomach condition during Nirvana's 1991 European tour were so severe, he became suicidal and stated that taking heroin was "[his] choice", stating "This is the only thing that's saving me from blowing my head off right now."
Cobain's cousin Beverly, a nurse, pointed out that there was a family history of suicide. Beverly claimed that bipolar disorder and his struggles with drug addiction led him to commit suicide.
In Charles Cross's Heavier than Heaven, bandmate Krist Novoselic talked about seeing Cobain in the days before the intervention: "He was really quiet. He was just estranged from all of his relationships. He wasn't connecting with anybody." An offer to buy a nice dinner for Cobain resulted in Novoselic unintentionally driving him to score heroin. "His dealer was right there. He wanted to get fucked up into oblivion. ... He wanted to die, that's what he wanted to do." In his own book, Of Grunge and Government: Let's Fix This Broken Democracy, Novoselic alluded to circumstances of Cobain's death: "Tragically, [Cobain] picked the wrong way to resign from the position he was thrust into."
Kurt Cobains død
Den 8. april 1994 blev Kurt Cobain opdaget i drivhuset over hans garage på hans Lake Washington-hus af Veca Electric-medarbejder Gary Smith. Smith ankom til huset om morgenen for at installere sikkerhedsbelysning og så Cobain ligge indenfor. Smith fandt, hvad han mente kunne være et selvmordsbrev med en kuglepen stukket igennem under en omvendt urtepotte. Et haglgevær købt til Cobain af Dylan Carlson blev fundet på Cobains bryst. Cobains dødsattest fastslog, at hans død var et resultat af et "gennemtrængende sår fra hagl affyret direkte mod hovedet" og kom til den slutning, at hans død var et resultat af selvmord. I rapporten anslås Cobain at være død den 5. april 1994.
Fortalere for kendelsen (død ved selvforskyldt skudsår) fremhæver Cobains vedholdende stofmisbrug, kliniske depression og håndskrevne selvmordsbrev som afgørende beviser. Cobains familie har også bemærket udbredt depression og uligevægt hos Kurt, før han opnåede berømmelse. Cobain nævnte selv, at hans mavesmerter fra udiagnosticeret mavelidelse, som havde stået på siden Nirvanas Europa-turné i 1991, var så alvorlige, at han tænkte på selvmord, hævdede, at det at tage heroin var "et bevidst valg" og sagde "Dette er det eneste, der redder mig fra at give mig selv et skud gennem hovedet".
Cobains kusine Beverly, som var sygeplejerske, påpegede, at der havde været flere selvmord i familien. Beverly hævdede, at hans bipolare lidelse og hans kamp mod stofmisbruget fik ham til at begå selvmord.
I Charles Cross' "Heavier than Heaven" talte Krist Novoselic fra bandet om at have set Cobain i dagene før: "Han var meget stille. Han havde trukket sig tilbage fra alle dem, han kendte. Han havde ikke kontakt med nogen." Et tilbud om at købe en dejlig middag for Cobain førte til, at Novoselic uden at ville det fik ham til at få fat på noget heroin. "Hans forhandler var der lige med det samme. Han ønskede at smadre sig selv og blive glemt... Han ønskede at dø, det var det, han ville." I sin bog, Of Grunge and Government: Let's Fix This Broken Democracy, hentydede Novoselic til omstændighederne ved Cobains død: "Tragisk nok valgte Cobain den forkerte vej - at komme ud af den situation, han var blevet kastet ind i."
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