The comments section on social media posts can sometimes be full of haters, trolls and critics. But in Courtney Love's post that pays tribute to Kurt Cobain on what would have been his 54th birthday, there is nothing but love.
The 56-year-old former frontwoman for Hole shared a black-and-white photo of her late husband taken by Mark Seliger to Instagram, writing in the caption, “Happy birthday beautiful boy.”
Love went on to share an excerpt from the Nirvana frontman’s liner notes from the album “Incesticide.”
“At this point I have a request for our fans,” the note read. “If any of you hate homosexuals, people of a different color, or women , please , do this one favor for us -leave us the f—k alone ! Don’t come to our shows and don’t buy our records “
In 1987, Cobain founded Nirvana with Krist Novoselic and Aaron Burckhard. After the success of their critically acclaimed 1991 album "Nevermind" that featured the iconic song "Smells Like Teen Spirit," the band and Cobain became revered as one of the most influential acts in the history of rock.
Love and Cobain were married from 1992 until his death by suicide in 1994. They had one daughter, Frances Bean Cobain, 28, who paid tribute to her father in 2017 on what would have been his 50th birthday in a now-deleted Instagram post.
"Today would have been your 50th birthday. You are loved and you are missed,” she wrote. “Thank you for giving me the gift of life. Forever your daughter, Frances Bean."
On Saturday, fans of the late rockstar flooded the comments with touching tributes to Cobain yet again, some even sharing their personal stories on how he has helped them with their own struggles.
“His music and his outspoken views fighting for women and the LGBTQ shaped my view of men,” one fan wrote to Love, who responded to the comment with a simple heart emoji. “I learned not all men were predatory, they they could contain softness and understanding. This was HUGE for me at 13 years old. I will never miss him as much as you, but I will always miss him and the music and art that was never made.”
Another fan shared a story of their own experience with loss and grief, writing to Love, “Love you both! I lost my husband to suicide about ten years ago.”
“It's one of the toughest battles,” they added, to which Love replied with a candle emoji. “You're such a beautiful and strong woman Courtney! I'm sure he's so proud of everything you've accomplished. He will forever be in our hearts.”
One fan reflected on how Cobain’s music had saved them on multiple occasions, writing, “His music saved me more than once. I always found beauty and solace in it, especially All Apologies. Many people of my age have to thank him for making them listen to music, to good music and become more emphatic.”
Another comment caught the attention of Love as they recounted a memory of seeing the singer on stage, writing, “Your love breaks my soul. I watched at one the concerts you screamed with heart-rending scream and called him.”
“Then I realized how strong you love for him was ,the same strong love I feel for him and you,” they added. “I don't idolize him, 'cause he is ordinary man, but he filled my broken heart and brain with song phrases, punk rhythms and guitar shaking.”
"The world today is what it is because of you: a better place.”
One person fan even said they wrote a song for him, to which Love responded, "Would love to hear. Dm me."
One fan addressed their touching comment to “an older brother who never was,” adding, “I never got to witness (sic) his song writings in the works but I did get to witness (sic) what they did to the world... Was like a second coming.”
“I was only 16 when smells like teen spirit came out of nowhere and I remember thinking ‘So this is what a ufo sounds like,’” they continued. “He put Micheal Jackson in second place. You don’t do that unless there’s something truly special about you. Happy b-day, KC. Wish we’d gotten to know each other. The world today is what it is because of you: a better place.”