These quotes offer various perspectives, not just from his contemporaries but also from musicians who were influenced by his music years after his death. They demonstrate the far-reaching impact of Kurt Cobain’s music and his enduring legacy.
Here are 40 quotes from various celebrities about Kurt Cobain and Nirvana
Dave Grohl (Nirvana’s drummer): “Kurt was the greatest songwriter of our generation… He had a beautiful way of taking a heavy subject and making it into a pop song.”
Krist Novoselic (Nirvana’s bassist): “Kurt was a leader, he was strong, in fact he was well fucking hung, if you know what I mean!”
Courtney Love (Cobain’s wife): “He had a lot of personal things to work out, but he was a good man…I see him in our daughter.”
Billy Corgan (The Smashing Pumpkins): “He (Cobain) and I were close friends, sharing the joy of having our respective bands hit it big.”
Thom Yorke (Radiohead): “I was really, really upset about what happened to him…I realized what an almighty fuck-up the industry is.”
Neil Young: “It’s a very sad story. The guy was young. He was talented. And he felt alienated. It’s a classic story.”
Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam): “I think if Kurt were around today… and you asked him who he’d want to be, he’d say, ‘I want to be Kurt Cobain.'”
Elton John: “He (Kurt) was amazing. He told me he loved what I did, and he was a huge fan which I found very touching.”
Michael Stipe (R.E.M.): “He (Kurt) was a good guy… incredibly funny, incredibly generous.”
Chris Cornell (Soundgarden): “I’ve always liked Kurt a lot and I was friends with him. He was just a really sweet and beautiful person.”
Butch Vig (producer of “Nevermind”): “Kurt was smart, he was incredibly charismatic. He had a way of drawing you in. He was very intense.”
Jack Endino (producer of “Bleach”): “His sense of melody was simply uncanny and the band was ungodly tight.”
J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.): “I always liked him. He didn’t seem like anyone else.”
Beck: “There was sincerity in his voice and lyrics, and it was a refreshing antidote to the sort of macho posturing of a lot of hard rock music.”
Liam Gallagher (Oasis): “Kurt Cobain was just a fucking little silly boy, throwing his life away.”
Billy Joel: “I think Nirvana tapped into a voice that was yearning to be heard.”
St. Vincent (Annie Clark): “Nirvana was like the Beatles to me in their impact and what they did to and for music.”
Lorde: “I really like Nirvana’s cover of ‘The Man Who Sold the World’… It’s haunting.”
Frances Bean Cobain (Kurt’s daughter): “Kurt got to the point where he eventually had to sacrifice every bit of who he was to his art, because the world demanded it of him.”
Marilyn Manson: “I think Kurt Cobain was a very significant artist of his time, but I wasn’t a big fan of grunge. I was more interested in him as a person.”
Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers): “He left a mark. He gave something that no one else could give.”
Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains): “Kurt and I weren’t the closest of friends, but I knew him well enough to be devastated by his death.”
Dave Mustaine (Megadeth): “I wish Kurt could have lived to see the great impact his music had on people.”
Maynard James Keenan (Tool, A Perfect Circle): “Nirvana’s success drew attention to a marketing demographic previously ignored by the mainstream, and inadvertently started a gold rush with advertising executives, product manufacturers, merchandise distributors, fashion coordinators, and rock imitators, that has lasted almost 30 years.”
Axl Rose (Guns N’ Roses): “It’s really a shame he couldn’t appreciate the fun of making music as much as the pain he obviously enjoyed in his lyrics.”
Chuck D (Public Enemy): “His music inspired a lot of people.”
Mark Arm (Mudhoney): “He wrote incredible songs. I’m just glad I got to hear them.”
Lana Del Rey: “I was so grateful to hear his voice scream out. It made me feel less alone.”
Mike McCready (Pearl Jam): “Kurt was so much more than the sum of his sadness.”
Steve Albini (producer of “In Utero”): “I found him to be very quiet and reserved and a little bit distant.”
Paul McCartney (The Beatles): “When you heard Nirvana, it was like: ‘Oh God, that’s great… God, we needed that.'”
Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails): “What really resonated with me about Nirvana’s success was it felt like this was the most authentic, real thing that I could identify with.”
Chad Channing (former Nirvana drummer): “The great thing about Kurt was that he was a great songwriter… the guy had such a knack for melody.”
Kathleen Hanna (Bikini Kill, Le Tigre): “Kurt Cobain was just Kurt Cobain. Completely brilliant and equally troubled.”
Noel Gallagher (Oasis): “Kurt Cobain put the shutters down on hair metal… And it was great to be part of that change.”
Eddie Van Halen: “They had some good songs, but I didn’t buy the lack of professionalism.”
John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers): “Kurt Cobain’s songs showed people that it was OK to express those (negative) feelings… And that’s a great gift to the world.”
Johnny Marr (The Smiths): “Kurt Cobain was the last leader of a generation. He was the last one who did it.”
Billy Idol: “Kurt Cobain was a great artist, and when he did ‘Unplugged’, he showed a different aspect to his music.”
Weird Al Yankovic: “I was very impressed by the music, by Kurt’s sense of melody and songwriting, and I wanted to pay homage to the band.”
Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers): “Kurt Cobain was an amazing artist. I loved his music and his sense for melodies.”
Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine): “Nirvana’s music railed against thoughtless conformity and me-first capitalism, and in its place promoted a more hopeful idea: the constant struggle to be a better person.”
PJ Harvey: “Kurt Cobain was very important to a lot of people, particularly those of his generation. His contribution to music was extraordinary.”
James Hetfield (Metallica): “Kurt’s songwriting was amazing. That band, their explosion onto the scene, there were much better bands before them, but they got the timing right.”
Bono (U2): “I don’t love Nirvana, but ‘Lithium’ is an extraordinary song.”
Kurt Vile: “Kurt Cobain’s just got that rasp, that character in his voice. He’s got a beautiful voice but also it’s sort of a tortured soul at the same time.”
Billy Ray Cyrus: “I still feel the impact that Kurt Cobain and Nirvana had on me.”
John Mayer: “You listen to Nirvana, and those guys meant it. They weren’t messing around.”
Jared Leto (30 Seconds to Mars): “Nirvana’s music was such a shift for music and especially rock. It was this incredible force that came onto the scene.”
Miley Cyrus: “Every day I have to fight like hell for my freedom, the way that Kurt did. He knew what he believed in, he knew what was art, he knew what was bullshit, and he did not care.”