Biography of Courtney Love
Courtney Love is an American rock singer, poet, and musician who founded the punk band Hole, serving as its guitarist and vocalist. She is the widow of Kurt Cobain, the leader of the band Nirvana. Her platinum album "Live Through This" hit shelves just a week after her husband's death. She is also known as an actress. She earned "Best Supporting Actress" and "Most Promising Actress" awards for her role as Althea Flint in Milos Forman's acclaimed biographical film "The People vs. Larry Flynt."
Childhood and Adolescence
Courtney Michelle Harrison was born in the summer of 1964 to Hank Harrison and Linda Carroll, in the heart of hippie culture—San Francisco. Her father worked as a technician for the band Grateful Dead (young Courtney is pictured on the cover of their debut album "Aoxomoxoa," bottom row, right), and her mother became a psychotherapist. Their house parties drew all kinds of people who freely indulged in alcohol and drugs.
Courtney first attended elementary school in Eugene, and then, in New Zealand, she was placed in Nelson College for Girls. She was diagnosed with mild autism, and while teachers recognized her talent, Courtney had trouble connecting with other kids. Soon, she was sent back to Oregon to her stepfather.She always lied about us having no money, but we actually had plenty. She was so cheap that Jenny—my younger sister from one of her relationships—and I ended up paying her rent. Mom kept marrying complete idiots; one was either a transvestite or transsexual. Despite all that, I went to a good private school.
Film Career and Music
In 1985, Courtney—who'd adopted the stage name Love—returned to the States. When she heard that director Alex Cox was planning to make a film about the life of Sid Vicious, the bassist of the Sex Pistols, she went to the casting, hoping to land the role of the guitarist's girlfriend, Nancy. To her disappointment, she only landed the role of Gretchen, the main character's friend.
Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain: A Love Story
From age fourteen, Courtney lived a pretty wild lifestyle. She was never short of admirers. She even married James Moreland, the lead singer of "The Leaving Trains," in Las Vegas, later dismissing it as a joke.But the rock singer's one true love was Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. In 1990, fresh off her breakup with Corgan, Courtney headed straight to a Nirvana show. She'd had her eye on Kurt for ages. After the concert, she went to the dressing room. What happened next seemed inevitable to everyone watching: she punched Kurt in the stomach, he hit back, they wrestled on the floor – and then they kissed. Soon after, they appeared as a couple at the Rock for Choice concert.
Critics called their romance "destructive," blaming Courtney for Kurt's addiction and suicide. Others insisted they truly loved each other – that wild, fun-loving Courtney actually helped Kurt battle the depression that came with sudden fame. "A new version of Sid and Nancy, but much more talented," the press called them.
Months before their daughter arrived, they both tried getting clean – but failed. In August, their daughter Frances Bean Cobain was born. Kurt talked about leaving Nirvana, getting clean, and focusing on being a dad – but none of it happened. They almost lost custody right after Frances was born, but fought in court to keep their daughter.We went on a drug binge. We did everything – tons of drugs – and hit the clubs. Then I was on heroin for two months.
Back home, Kurt locked himself in his room with a gun, threatening suicide. Courtney called the cops but took back her statement when they showed up. Kurt claimed he just wanted space after their fight. Late in March, the Nirvana frontman checked into rehab – then bolted from the facility. Courtney hired a private detective to find him. But it wasn't the detective who found Kurt – it was an electrician who came to his house on April 8 and discovered his body.
Life After Kurt's Death
To this day, many Nirvana fans still blame Courtney Love for their idol's death. Kurt's fans would gouge out Courtney's eyes on Hole posters, while conspiracy theorists spun theories that Love ordered Cobain's murder. Once called "the new Sid and Nancy," she's now been dubbed "the second Yoko Ono"—suggesting she destroyed Nirvana just like Yoko Ono destroyed The Beatles.
In 1996, Love landed the lead female role in Milos Forman's "The People vs. Larry Flynt." The insurance premiums for Courtney were so high that she, the director, and star Woody Harrelson had to pay them out of pocket—the studio refused. But the gamble paid off: the film about the Hustler magazine creator won the top prize at the Berlin Film Festival.
In 2009, Love attempted to revive Hole with the album "Nobody's Daughter," but faced disappointment once again when fans gravitated toward their earlier work and showed little enthusiasm for the new material. Love went solo for a period, occasionally teasing that she was crafting new songs and albums.
Courtney Love Now
In 2020, Love announced that during the coronavirus lockdown, she'd started writing a book. Love also dropped hints that Hole might resume making music. Courtney boldly announced a new solo album she'd begun working on in London. She claimed to have discovered fresh singer-songwriters she was eager to collaborate with.
In 2022, Love completed her autobiography "The Girl with the Most Cake," a project nearly ten years in the making.