EXCLUSIVE: The widow of the Nirvana frontman was a very vocal supporter of the recent HBO documentary Montage Of Heck, but she’s no fan of another film about her relationship with her late husband. The legal team representing Courtney Love has issued a cease-and-desist order against theaters showing the controversial Benjamin Statler-directed docudrama Soaked in Bleach, a look at the death of Kurt Cobain that was ruled a suicide in 1994. 
 
 “The Film falsely presents a widely and repeatedly debunked conspiracy theory that accuses Ms. Cobain of orchestrating the death of her husband Kurt Cobain,” writes the Hole singer’s attorney in the order (read it here). “A false accusation of criminal behavior is defamatory … which entitles Ms. Cobain to both actual and presumed damages.” No complaint has been filed with the courts as of yet. 
 
 From Suburban Hitchhiker and Daredevil Films, Soaked In Bleach centers on private investigator Tom Grant, hired by Love to find Cobain after he left a substance abuse treatment center in Los Angeles on March 30, 1994. During the period between the musician’s disappearance and the April 8 discovery of his body, Grant recorded many of the conversations he had with Love. Those recordings, paired with re-enactments, make up much of the film, though documentary footage as well as interviews with people close to the matter also are used. 
 
 The film revives the highly controversial claim that Cobain’s death was a homicide and that Love might have had a connection to it. It covers similar ground to Nick Broomfield’s 1999 documentary Kurt & Courtney. Seattle police re-examined evidence in 2014 and said the death still was ruled a suicide. 
 
 The producers of Soaked In Bleach provided the following statement to Deadline: 
 
 We were disturbed to learn that Courtney Love’s lawyers sent threatening letters to movie theaters all over the country. Most arrived before Soaked in Bleach was released last week, presumably before she or her lawyers ever saw it. She obviously hoped to scare theater owners into dropping the film. Thankfully, very few were intimidated. Most saw the letter for what it is – a cowardly attack on the rights of free speech, free expression and free choice. Courtney Love’s uninformed accusations and efforts to discredit the film are totally off base. The film examines the well documented facts surrounding the death of Kurt Cobain and it questions much of what the public has been told about those events. Most of the opinions and theories presented in the film come directly from facts gathered by Tom Grant, the private investigator Courtney Love hired the week before Kurt’s body was discovered. Tom quickly became suspicious and tape recorded all his conversations with Courtney and others in the days leading up to and after Kurt’s death. The film uses those recordings to reenact Tom’s encounters with Courtney Love and others in Kurt’s inner circle. It also presents the views of Norm Stamper, Seattle’s Police Chief at the time, and Dr. Cyril Wecht, a leading forensic pathologist, who both question whether Kurt could have committed suicide. Courtney Love and her lawyers clearly don’t like that the film presents a compelling case for re-opening the investigation into Kurt’s death. They should respect the First Amendment and let people decide for themselves. 
 
 Interest in the musician’s life has been high of late. Director Brett Morgan’s Kurt Cobain: Montage oOf Heck was a success for HBO back in April, earning $107,055 in only three theaters in its first weekend, making it the year’s biggest nonfiction debut. 
 
 Love is represented by Dongell Lawrence Finney LLP. 

 Kurt Cobain killed himself on April 5, 1994, but there are many people who believe that is not what actually happened. The new documentary Soaked In Bleach focuses on the conspiracy theory that the Nirvana frontman was murdered, and that his wife Courtney Love was behind the act. According to the film, Seattle’s former police chief Norm Stamper is, at the very least, willing to consider this somewhat dubious theory. 
 
 “We should in fact have taken steps to study patterns involved in the behavior of key individuals who had a motive to see Kurt Cobain dead,” Stamper says in the documentary. “If in fact Kurt Cobain was murdered, as opposed to having committed suicide, and it was possible to learn that, shame on us for not doing that. That was in fact our responsibility.” 
 
 “It’s about right and wrong. It’s about honor. It’s about ethics,” he continued. “If we didn’t get it right the first time, we damn well better get it right the second time, and I would tell you right now if I were the Chief of Police, I would reopen this investigation.” 
 
 It’s important to note that Stamper isn’t outright saying he believes that Cobain was murdered; rather, he’s just pushing for a thorough investigation. 
 
 Soaked In Bleach has been a predictably polarizing film. Love, the target of the documentary’s allegations, filed a cease and desist against theaters showing the movie, saying that the claims “cannot have any credibility.” 

 Conspiracy theorists have long speculated that the death of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain was more insidious than a suicide. In a new documentary called Soaked in Bleach, director Benjamin Statler takes a look at the rock star’s end through the eyes of Tom Grant, a private investigator Courtney Love hired to locate the missing Cobain just days before he was found dead. 
 
 Not only does the film reveal some supposedly convincing evidence from Grant’s point of view, it also sees former Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper, who was in office at the time of Cobain’s death, saying he’d reopen the case if he were still Police Chief today. 
 
 “We should in fact have taken steps to study patterns involved in the behavior of key individuals who had a motive to see Kurt Cobain dead,” Stamper admits in the film, according to Alternative Nation. “If in fact Kurt Cobain was murdered, as opposed to having committed suicide, and it was possible to learn that, shame on us for not doing that. That was in fact our responsibility.” 
 
 Stamper went on to say that a new investigation would be “about right and wrong, it’s about honor. it’s about ethics. if we didn’t get it right the first time, we damn well better get it right the second time, and I would tell you right now if I were the Chief of Police, I would reopen this investigation.” 
 
 In March 2014, Seattle police briefly reexamined the investigation after a cold case detective discovered unseen photographs from the crime scene. However, police ultimately concluded the photographs provided no new evidence and the case was again closed. 
 
 For her part, Love has been attempting to legally block Soaked in Bleach from being shown in theaters, going so far as to send cease and desist letters to any establishment planning on airing it. She claims the film “falsely presents a widely and repeatedly debunked conspiracy theory that accuses Ms. Cobain of orchestrating the death of her husband Kurt Cobain.” The Love-approved documentary, Montage of Heck, has meanwhile received vast critical acclaim. 
 
 Watch the trailer for Soaked in Bleach below. 

 Search by keyword Topic, title or author Narrow your search Within these sections Control + click to search multiple sections. All sections Business & Technology Editorials & Opinion Education Entertainment Health Living Local News Nation & World Obituaries Politics Sports Travel & Outdoors Within these dates All dates since 1990 Past week Past year Custom date range: From: Month January February March April May June July August September October November December Day 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Year 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 To: Month January February March April May June July August September October November December Day 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Year 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Within these sites A network search will provide results to seattletimes.com as well our network of sites. A network search will provide paid obituaries as well as classified listings. seattletimes.com Our network sites Rank the results Newest matches first Best matches first Note: some areas within seattletimes.com are not available within search. Those include: comics, horoscopes, photography and sports scores and stats. 
 
 Find events and venues 
 
 Search by event, by place, by date or just browse 
 
 Search events 
 
 Find upcoming local events All events Community Dance Fair/Festival Gardening Hobbies Movie Music/Nightlife Outdoor/Recreation Readings/Literary Seasonal Sports Theater Visual arts Search events by date 
 
 Search venues 
 
 Restaurants, theaters, clubs, and more All venues Art gallery/studio Bar/Club Community venue Golf course Health club Lodging Movie theater Museum Park Restaurant Sports venue Store Theater 
 
 If you would like to copy material from The Seattle Times for your own use, follow these guidelines to obtain the necessary permissions. 
 
 The Seattle Times offers story and photo reprints, special sections, a variety of books and more. For information, visit the Seattle Times store.
– Conspiracy theories have long swirled around the 1994 death of Kurt Cobain, but the latest film documentary about the Nirvana frontman has Courtney Love filing cease-and-desist letters and the ex-police chief of Seattle saying he'd reopen the case if he were still in charge, Spin reports. In Soaked in Bleach, a private investigator named Tom Grant says he was hired by Love to find Cobain, who had gone missing, just a few days before his death, per the Consequence of Sound. The movie reportedly offers up convincing evidence from Grant that Cobain didn't kill himself but was murdered, and that Love was the mastermind, Spin notes. The film also features commentary from Norm Stamper, who had just taken over as head of Seattle's police force before Cobain died. While Stamper doesn't come right out and say Love had her husband offed, he does think the movie's allegations warrant a new look. "We should in fact have taken steps to study patterns involved in the behavior of key individuals who had a motive to see Kurt Cobain dead," he says in the movie, per Spin. "If in fact Kurt Cobain was murdered … and it was possible to learn that, shame on us for not doing that." And if he were still chief today, those steps would be taken, Stamper adds: "It's about right and wrong. It's about honor. It's about ethics. If we didn’t get it right the first time, we damn well better get it right the second time, and I would tell you right now if I were the chief of police, I would reopen this investigation." (The Montage of Heck documentary about Cobain has been described as "brilliant" and "uncomfortable.")