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
• 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".