Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967, Aberdeen, Washington, U.S.A – April 5 1994, Seattle, Washington, U.S.A ) was the lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist of the Seattle grunge band Nirvana. With the band's success, Cobain became a major national and international celebrity, an uncomfortable position for someone who claimed to be "ill at ease with fame and ill-equipped to handle the responsibility that accompanies success". Cobain and Nirvana were highly influential, popularizing what came to be known as "grunge music".