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Frank Micelotta/Getty ImagesToday marks the 25th anniversary of Kurt Cobain‘s death.

The iconic Nirvana frontman, who helped bring grunge to the mainstream with his dark, confessional lyrics and his band’s distorted sound, was found dead in his home on April 8, 1994. Forensics determined that Cobain had died by suicide three days earlier on April 5. He was 27.

Author Charles R. Cross followed Nirvana’s rise as the editor of the Seattle-based magazine The Rocket and wrote the acclaimed 2001 Cobain biography Heavier than Heaven, as well as two other books about the singer.  He says he finds it “amazing” how much Kurt’s “legacy has grown” since its death.

Cross credits the continued fascination with Cobain to a number of factors, which he describes as a “combination of both artistic skill of cult of personality.”

“Kurt was such an unusual individual, and, in so many ways, just an iconoclast,” he tells ABC Radio. “There really hasn’t been anyone like him [since].”

In addition to his personality, Cross feels that other aspects of who Cobain was have been overshadowed by his highly publicized struggle with heroin.

“As a person, as a person, as a friend, as a family member, as a musician, he was so much more than just an addict,” Cross says.

From a music and image perspective, Cross says, Cobain and Nirvana offered an alternative to hair metal, which dominated rock music at the time.

“Nirvana’s music was about the internal dialogue of Kurt Cobain: depression, angst, alienation,” Cross explains. “Those suddenly became themes that rock songs could be about…Music has never really been the same since Nirvana broke.”

Nirvana released three studio albums: 1989’s Bleach, 1991’s Nevermind and 1993’s In Utero. Their legendary 1994 MTV Unplugged live album was released seven months after Cobain’s death.

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