Spanning less than three years, the marriage between Kurt Cobain and Courntey Love was one of the most controversial relationships in pop culture. Drugs, mental illness and fame all weighed upon the two of them, leading to one of the most tragic relationships in modern media.
Before looking at the end of their marriage with the passing of Cobain, it is important to first look at how they got to know each other and the ins and outs of the two people.
After a Nirvana concert in 1990, Love met Cobain after a Nirvana concert in 1990, and the two of them started dating weeks later. Their relationship later bloomed as Love traveled with Nirvana as they performed. Their time touring together was not all sunshine and rainbows though. Throughout their first year of romance, tensions grew as Cobain’s drug issue worsened and the weight of fame started getting to him.
In 1991, Kurt became a heavy heroin user. This had a definite impact on his and Love’s relationship. Cobain often left shows early to run off and go buy drugs outside the venue. These moments of weakness in Cobain led to weaknesses in his relationship.
Love also had her own set of problems within their relationship. After a year of dating, Love and Cobain got married and a baby was on the way that same year in 1992. The pregnancy came with a whole lot of issues for the two with both Love and Cobain continuing to use heroin.
Cobain did not attempt to get clean until 1994, while Love dropped the drug use sometime during her pregnancy. The damage was already done though.
Francis Bean Cobain was born in late 1992 and skeptics were scared that Love’s heroin usage had damaged the newborn baby.
Drug use was not the only thing that harmed their relationship. Domestic disputes made headlines. In 1993 Cobain was arrested for an alleged assault on Love. The charges were dropped, but a stain was left on their public image.
A year later, Cobain took his own life, leaving Love heartbroken. After Cobain’s death, many stories came out about the two lovers. Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic of Nirvana said in interviews that Love isolated Cobain and kept tensions high. Other rumors are about alleged infidelity on Love’s end and further abuse on both sides.