'Kurt Cobain Day' celebrated in Aberdeen on what would have been his 47th birthday

ABERDEEN, Wash., Feb. 21 (UPI) -- In honor of what would have been the 47th birthday of the late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, his hometown of Aberdeen, Wash., celebrated his legacy for the first time by unveiling a Cobain statue at a local museum on Feb. 20.

Work on the statue began nearly 20 years ago after Cobain committed suicide in 1994, but city officials were reticent to install it in the Aberdeen Museum of History because of negative comments the rock icon made about the town while he was alive.

However, a “Come As You Are” sign already welcomed people to town, and city officials apparently felt that enough time had passed to declare Feb. 20 “Kurt Cobain Day.”

"Aberdeen residents may justifiably take pride in the role our community played in the life of Kurt Cobain and the international recognition our community has gained from its connections with Kurt Cobain and his artistic achievements,” according to the official proclamation about the day from Mayor Bill Simpson.

Nirvana will be inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 10, five days after the 20-year anniversary of Cobain's suicide in Seattle.

"We want him to be known for his music. This has been a long time coming; we should have done it long ago,” Simpson told KOMO. “Paul McCartney said Kurt Cobain was a genius, that said a lot for me. We want him to be known for his music.”

[KOMO] [SeattlePi]