19-year-old Kurt Cobain, 1986.
Kurt Cobain was a tortured soul, a grunge poet, a rock ‘n roll casualty — and in this pre-fame shot, a happy and good looking kid. He was 19 at the time, and soon to form Nirvana with Krist Novoselic and Aaron Burckhard. Of course, he’d had his share of difficulties — trauma from his parent’s divorce, bullying in school, vandalism and other antisocial behavior. But it’s good to remember that even our brooding antiheroes have their share of fun. After all, Cobain was at this point committed to the rock ‘n roll path — it beats digging ditches. The darkness did catch up with him and he came to see Nirvana’s massive success as more a curse than a blessing. He committed suicide in 1994 at the age of 27.