Kurt Cobain and Nirvana have been making headlines recently.
On April 5th, the 27th anniversary of Cobain’s death was commemorated, an NFT of his last photo shoot was put up for sale, and Nirvana faced a copyright-infringement lawsuit over unauthorized use of an illustration on their merchandise.
Now, it has been announced that six strands of Cobain’s hair from 1989 will be auctioned as rock memorabilia.
Adding to the recent buzz surrounding Cobain, the FBI has released his file.
Periodically, the Federal Bureau of Investigation makes some of its archives public, and last month, they chose to release Cobain’s file, along with paperwork on late mob boss Vito Genovese.
The file consists of only ten pages but is nonetheless intriguing.
The main focus is on two letters, both urging the Bureau to investigate Cobain’s death as a murder rather than a suicide.
One letter, typed out in September 2003, emphasizes the desire of millions of fans worldwide to clarify the inconsistencies surrounding Cobain’s death.
It also references director Nick Broomfield’s documentary “Kurt & Courtney,” which reflects similar skepticism.
The second letter, written by hand in 2007, expresses frustration with the police’s handling of the case, suggesting that they were not serious about investigating it as a murder.
The author claims that Cobain’s killer is still at large and points out alleged evidence, such as the absence of fingerprints on the gun and the presence of handwriting in Cobain’s note that appears to have been added later.
The file also includes the FBI’s responses to these letters, which follow a similar pattern.
While acknowledging the concern that Cobain may have been the victim of a homicide, the Bureau states that most homicide investigations fall under the jurisdiction of state or local authorities.
They explain that the presentation of specific facts regarding a violation of federal law would be necessary for the FBI to pursue an investigation.
Based on the information provided in these letters, the Bureau concludes that there is no violation of federal law within their investigative jurisdiction.
Additionally, the file contains a response to a letter sent to then-Attorney General Janet Reno in 2000.
However, the original correspondence triggering this response is not included in the released pages.
Interestingly, the released pages also include parts of a fax sent in January 1997 to the Los Angeles and D.C. offices of the FBI, as well as several NBC executives.
The fax was from Cosgrove/Meurer Productions, the documentary company behind Unsolved Mysteries.
It summarizes theories about the case put forth by private investigator Tom Grant, who believed that the suicide ruling was a rushed judgment.
The fact sheet mentions Grant’s findings of inconsistencies, particularly regarding the alleged suicide note, which he interpreted as a retirement letter to Cobain’s fans.
Terry Meurer, co-founder of CMP, recalls little about the original request but confirms that Unsolved Mysteries aired an episode addressing these theories in the same year.
The show frequently reaches out to the FBI for information on various stories and maintains regular communication with them.
At the time of publication, the FBI had not responded to Rolling Stone’s query about the timing of the release.
However, the release of Cobain’s file adds him to the list of musicians who have been subjects of FBI surveillance or investigations.
This list includes the Notorious B.I.G., the Monkees, Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees, and John Denver.
While the Cobain file may not contain scandalous details, it serves as a reminder that the FBI’s interest in collecting files on musicians extends beyond the classic-rock era.
The Bureau has demonstrated its alternative side when it comes to music.
