Frances Bean Cobain

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Frances Bean Cobain was born at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Her middle name originated from a sonogram photo her father thought resembled a kidney bean; this image appeared on the sleeve of Nirvana's 1992 single "Lithium." Her early life faced turbulence, including a 1994 custody removal at age two weeks due to allegations detailed in a Vanity Fair article. Although the investigation was dismissed and she was raised by her mother, aunts, and paternal grandmother, legal battles continued into adulthood. On April 1, 1994, nearly two years old, she visited her father at the Exodus Recovery Center for the last time before his death a week later. She spent formative years in Seattle and Los Angeles, including a period under her grandmother's care after Courtney Love's October 2003 arrest, until Love regained custody in 2005.

In Their Own Story

On August 18, 2010, Frances Bean Cobain inherited 37% of her late father's estate. By July 2016 to June 2017, she earned $95,496 per month from these royalties plus $6,784 in dividends, totaling $102,280 monthly against an estimated net worth of $11.3 million; her father's estate was valued at $450 million in 2014. Her creative path began early: at age 13, she chose the title and cover photo for Nirvana's 2005 album "Sliver: The Best of the Box." She debuted artwork titled "Scumfuck" under the pseudonym "Fiddle Tim" in July 2010. In modeling, she famously wore her father's pajamas (in which he married Courtney Love) for an Elle UK shoot in August 2006. Her personal life saw a divorce from Isaiah Silva finalized on November 30, 2017, and the announcement of sobriety on February 13, 2018. In 2023, she married skateboarder Riley Hawk, with godfather Michael Stipe officiating.

Reader's Guide

Frances Bean Cobain has actively shaped her public persona through specific ventures rather than passive inheritance. She modeled for Hedi Slimane in August 2011 and was the face of Marc Jacobs's Spring/Summer 2017 campaign shot by David Sims. As an artist, she participated in the "MiXTAPE" group show in 2012, creating art inspired by The Jesus and Mary Chain's "Black," and held a joint exhibition titled "Ghosts For Sale" with Lindsey Way in 2017. She served as a guest vocalist on Evelyn Evelyn's "My Space" (2010) and as an executive producer for the HBO film "Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck," though she later criticized its representation of her father. Her musical tastes diverge from her heritage; in 2015, she stated a preference for Oasis and The Brian Jonestown Massacre over grunge, though she enjoys Nirvana tracks like "Territorial Pissings" and "Dumb." She also appeared as a guest judge on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars season 4 in 2019.

Did You Know?

• Frances Bean was named after Frances McKee of The Vaselines, not actress Frances Farmer.
• Her middle name comes from a sonogram photo her father thought looked like a kidney bean.
• She turned down the roles of Alice in Tim Burton's 'Alice in Wonderland' and Bella Swan in 'Twilight'.
• On September 30, 2017, she survived an emergency landing after Air France Flight 066 experienced an engine explosion.
• Her godparents are Michael Stipe and Drew Barrymore.