Remembering Kurt Cobain, 20 years after his death Some bands play a music genre - others define it. That's the case with Nirvana, the groudbreaking grunge band that skyrocketed to fame in the 1990s. But iconic frontman Kurt Cobain was a reluctant and troubled star, who had been battling his own demons for years, before committing suicide on April 5, 1994. A natural sound AFPTV report.