This Day in History: Kurt Cobain Dies By Suicide April 5, 1994 The Nirvana frontman died by suicide in his Seattle home after struggling with drug addiction and depression for years.
The rock icon had checked himself out of a Los Angeles rehab just a week earlier.
His body wasn't discovered until three days later when an electrician visited the home to install a security system.
Police found a suicide note written by Cobain, in which he quoted the Neil Young lyric that it's “better to burn out than to fade away.” Despite being ruled a suicide by authorities, Cobain's death has been widely blamed on his partner, singer Courtney Love.
After the song "Smells Like Teen Spirit" rocketed Nirvana to world wide fame, Cobain had been referred to as "the spokesman of a generation." He was just 27 years old when he died.