Kurt loved people too much...so why didn’t he just stay?
- Courtney Love at his vigil
Young lyric, “It’s better to burn out than to fade away”.
But his grieving wife tells the crowd: “Don’t remember this because it’s a f***ing lie.”
The film is an account of the days that surrounded that tragedy when Cobain took his own life while Nirvana were the biggest band in the world.
It uses archive footage, most previously unseen on television, to paint a picture of the time.
Director and producer John Osborne told the Mirror: “Footage from those who were there, such as local news crews and fans in Seattle, give the film a raw immediacy.
“I hope viewers get a better understanding of this seismic story as they watch it unfold. But most of all, I hope they get a sense of just how much Kurt Cobain was loved.”
The film has an interview with electrician Gary Smith, who found Cobain’s body at the
Seattle home the star shared with Courtney and their toddler daughter Frances, who were out at the time.
Smith was installing security system and explains how he spotted Cobain’s lifeless form through a window. Smith says: “I could see blood and a weapon lying on his chest.” He said he’d seen the suicide note and it ended with the words, “I love you, I love you”.
Kurt, who died aged 27, was a heroin addict who had struggled to come to terms with fame.
Just weeks before he died his stomach had to be pumped of drugs and alcohol.
He had checked into rehab in LA but it was discovered he had already bought a shotgun and ammunition.
He escaped from the rehab centre after
48 hours and returned to Seattle but friends were unable to find him.
In his last TV interview, shown in the BBC documentary, Kurt says that he is excited about “my baby, my marriage” and insists: “I was a lot more negative and angry a few years ago. Once you fall in love it’s different. The world seems a lot better.”
Bandmates Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl did not continue with the band after Kurt’s death but Nirvana’s legacy – including Nevermind, considered a classic by both fans and critics alike – lives on.
Moments That Shook Music: Kurt Cobain, BBC2, 9.25pm