18 Years on: Twitter remembers Kurt Cobain

A celebrity death was briefly the top trending topic on Twitter. Big deal, you might be thinking, happens all the time. Thing is, the celebrity in questions happens to have been dead for 18 years.

People from around the world took to Twitter to commemorate the life of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain on the 18th anniversary of his death.

A number of people chose to commemorate the iconic singer by quoting from his famous suicide note:

“I’d rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not.” #RIPKurtCobain

— Michael Lachowski ▲ (@THmichaelangelo) April 5, 2012

“The worst crime is faking it.” – #RIPKurtCobain

— Tahsin Bazzi (@TahsinOv) April 5, 2012

I don’t have the passion anymore, and so remember, it’s better to burn out than to fade away. Peace, love, empathy.#RIPKurtCobain

— Carlos Cuevas(@CarlosCuevas44) April 5, 2012

‘If you die, your soul somewhere lives on. I’m not afraid of dying. Total peace after death is the best hope I’ve got.’ #RIPKurtCobain

— Hugh G. Rection (@suicidalidol) April 5, 2012

‘Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are’ #RIPKurtCobain

— Sir Dope Cashington (@AdamKazam) April 5, 2012

Some of the people Tweeting weren’t even alive when Cobain took his life:

18 years ago today, 8 days before I was born 🙁 #RIPKurtCobain love you.

— Elizabeth Finch (@_lizziefinch) April 5, 2012

my dream is to have been born while he was still alive #RIPkurtcobain

— Júlia Matoso (@julia_matoso) April 5, 2012

Others made light of the trend:

#RIPKurtCobain. 1994 was a terrible year for music, Cobain died and Bieber was born

— Dumble-fucking-dory(@Evil_Dumbledore) April 5, 2012

“@KeshiaCheesman: #RIPKurtCobain!?!?!? HE DIED!? SINCE WHEN? OR IS THIS A TWITTER RUMOUR? OMG…WHAT ABOUT HIS BABY?!”excuse me

— Freddy Krueger (@LeftAloneToDie) April 5, 2012

#RIPKurtCobain – bugger me, I thought he was already dead!!!

— Laura (@Auntie_LouLou) April 5, 2012

#RIPKurtCobain – Pearl Jam were amazing x

— Josh Weller (@joshweller) April 5, 2012

Most however, just expressed their sadness for the loss of a musical legend they admired:

Legends will NEVER be forgotten. #RIPKurtCobain

— ∞ TeamBieber. (@TeamJBieber) April 5, 2012

#RIPKurtCobain come back and make some more good music for us please

— Chlo (@dirtyp0ny_) April 5, 2012

#RIPKurtCobain ‘i love you I love you’ the last words he ever wrote. We love you too kurt x

— boberto ginger bryar (@brookelynchxx) April 5, 2012

#RIPKurtCobain we all miss you and your music man miss you dude 😀

— Dom Abba (@DOMABBA) April 5, 2012

#RIPKurtCobain one of musics true geniuses, gone too early

— \m/ \m/ (@chrisbvballen) April 5, 2012

Twitter also took time to remember the death of another musical legend. Jim Marshall, the man whose amplifiers fuelled dreams of rock stardom around the world died today at age 88.

If you can, I suggest stepping away from the web for a moment, plugging a Fender strat into a Marshall stack and belting out the first few chords of “Lithium” (“Smells Like Teen Spirit” is for posers).