In the days after Cobain's death on 5 April 1994, Jonathan Freedland reported from Seattle for the Guardian's Weekend magazine, charting the troubled life of a reluctant rock star. On the 20th anniversary of Cobain's suicide, we republish the piece
![Kurt Cobain: an icon of alienation](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/4/4/1396629088765/baf52818-a573-40b6-b090-ad76da18a0d5-2060x1236.jpeg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=70f2fbf0183c117b8c72ca410c9743b1)
• Would the real Kurt Cobain please stand up
But one house on the hill has been spoiled. Black plastic tarpaulins hang from the trees to keep out prying eyes, bed-sheets have been pulled across the windows. Nevertheless, you can still see into the room above the detached garage, the room estate agents would call "the mother-in-law apartment".