April 8, 1994: Kurt Cobain found dead; Naval Station Everett opens

On the morning of April 9, 1994, The Herald was delivered to driveways and doorsteps, sharing bittersweet news. The city had gained a new home port but lost a beloved musician with local roots.

It was the day after Kurt Cobain was found dead and the Naval Station Everett was dedicated.

Here are excerpts from two front-page stories about the events:

Life from a guitar, death from a shotgun

“His favorite guitar came from a church in Everett. His songs echoed the disillusionment of a young generation. His music ended Friday.

Kurt Cobain, lead singer of Nirvana, one of the most popular bands in the world, was discovered dead Friday from an apparent self-inflicted shotgun blast to the head. …

Investigators found a one-page suicide note but would not comment on its contents. A shotgun was found lying across his body.

Cobain’s mother, Wendy O’Connor of Aberdeen, told the Daily World her son had been missing for six days and that she feared he would be found dead.

‘Now he’s gone and joined that stupid club,’ she said, referring to the early deaths of such rock stars as Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison. ‘I told him not to join that stupid club.”

A grand day for Navy, city

The moisture below Bill Moore’s eye was not due to the steady rain that fell during Friday’s dedication of Naval Station Everett.

Moore, an invited guest but not a speaker, was just proud and a little emotional.

After more than a decade of talk and piecemeal construction, the Navy’s newest, most modern and most environmentally sound home port was officially put into gear with a full-blown military ceremony.

Take a look at the April 9, 1994, edition in our collection of historical front pages.

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