History’s Most Famous Suicides, From Artists To Politicians

Kurt Cobain

His is one of the most famous suicides — and also one of the most tragic.

In the early 1990s, Kurt Cobain was on top of the music world as the lead singer of the hit grunge band Nirvana. But his inner demons and addiction to heroin would cut the bright star’s life short.

By early 1994, Cobain had spiraled out of control. His tragic downfall came to a final crescendo on the morning of April 8, 1994.

Cobain had been missing since April 2 and on the morning of the 8th, an electrician who was sent to Cobain’s Seattle property discovered Cobain’s lifeless body in the greenhouse above his garage.

He died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and had been dead for over two days already. The 20-gauge shotgun that he had used to kill himself was still lying on his chest.

It is believed that Cobain barricaded himself in the greenhouse, wrote a suicide note and then ended his life. A later medical examination revealed that Cobain had a high concentration of heroin and traces of Valium in his system upon his death.