Courtney Michelle Harrison, born in 1964 in San Francisco, California, is the daughter of Grateful Dead devotee and first manager Hank Harrison and psychotherapist Linda Carroll. Her early years were spent living in hippie communes in Oregon and attending schools in Europe and New Zealand under the care of her mother and other family members.
By the age of 16, Love became legally emancipated and traveled extensively throughout Europe, living off a small trust fund left behind by her grandmother. She eventually returned to Portland, Oregon, where she continued to pursue her passion for music and later moved around the United States before making her break into the industry.
As a musician, Love played in early incarnations of Babes In Toyland and Faith No More, as well as acting in bit parts for some Alex Cox films. In 1989, she started her own band, Hole, and in 1992, she married Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain, giving birth to their daughter, Frances Bean Cobain, the same year. After Cobain's tragic suicide in 1994, Love continued to thrill her fans and enrage her detractors with her on- and off-stage antics.
By 1998, Hole had released their third studio album, "Celebrity Skin," and Love had attracted cinematic notoriety for her performance in "The People vs. Larry Flynt" (1996),which earned her a Golden Globe nomination and recognition as a serious performer. Early into the millennium, Hole broke up, and Love took on supporting roles in films such as "Trapped" (2002).
However, her rocky past and propensity toward drug addiction eventually caught up with her, sending her through a whirlwind of numerous health and legal issues. After unsuccessful stints in and out of drug rehabilitation centers, Love was ordered by the L.A. county court to three months in lockdown rehab, which ended in 2006.
Love soon after released a scrapbook-like diary recounting her life, titled "Dirty Blonde: The Diaries of Courtney Love," and continued writing music, testifying to her sobriety to the press and public. In 2009, after losing custody of her daughter Frances Bean Cobain for unrelated reasons, Love re-formed Hole with an entirely new lineup and soon after released the band's first album in ten years, titled "Nobody's Daughter."
