Pete Townshend has said he regrets not contacting Kurt Cobain when he was asked to do so in 1993, while Cobain was struggling with heroin addiction. The Who guitarist later felt he had failed to make the judgement he would make today, and Cobain’s death in 1994 left him with lasting guilt.

Townshend was approached by Nirvana biographer Michael Azerrad during a period when Townshend was dealing with his own difficult experiences and had resumed drinking after 11 years of sobriety. Although he did not meet Cobain, Townshend subsequently supported musicians including Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder; the article also notes Neil Young’s grief after Cobain quoted his song ‘Hey Hey, My My’ in his suicide note.