Owen Wilson unexpectedly went viral on Twitter during the weekend due to a tweet referencing Kurt Cobain’s birthday. The account “Classic Picx” posted an image with caption, “Happy Birthday to the legend Kurt Cobain, who would’ve been 54 today.” Fans began the trend paying tribute to Cobain who would have turned 54 on Saturday. The Owen Wilson tweet differed from the rest as it turned out to be a joke, causing a mix of reactions and responses from users.
Happy Birthday to the legend Kurt Cobain, who would've been 54 today pic.twitter.com/Epw2vPFhxa
— Classic Pics (@Classic_picx) February 20, 2021
Owen Wilson’s Mental Health
The tweet has now over 208K likes with thousands of comments both criticizing and acknowledging the sarcasm. Laughter, fury, disapproval, and confusion were all part of the commentary. Specifically, many mentioned how the tweet was inappropriate considering Owen Wilson’s own mental health battles. In 2007, the actor allegedly attempted suicide and later treated for depression. Following his hospitalization, he withdrew from his role in Tropic Thunder, produced by friend and co-star Ben Stiller, and later replaced by Matthew McConaughey.
I'm just going to say this. Given Owen Wilson own mental health battles, this joke is incredibly poor taste. :/ not cool
— Mangy_Dog (@DogMangy) February 20, 2021
Negative Comments
The negativity seemed to continue as fans considered the post as disrespectful towards Kurt Cobain’s legacy. One user said, “Are they trying to be funny? Because they’re not.” Others took it even more heavy-heartedly insulting the user, believing they have made a grave mistake.
not him and not funny.
give me a break pic.twitter.com/YJO6e8ewB4— DJ Filmartist (@FilmArtist99) February 20, 2021
Funny Comments
Some reacted positively to the image, creating their own comparisons to Kurt Cobain adding on to the trend. Once the joke became clear, the positive comments overturned the negativity allowing viewers to share more versions of the singer’s lookalike.
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https://twitter.com/Cyrus_CLE/status/1363485290321633280?s=20
That's David Spade. This is Owen Wilson. pic.twitter.com/SXWiKbb7id
— N0where System ⛥ (@_N0where) February 21, 2021
Similarities
Cobain and Wilson look similar to an extent as both men have medium-length blonde hair, however the differences are obvious. Wilson was born only two years after Cobain, so if the singer was still alive today the two may have shared even greater similarities.
Courtney Love’s Tribute
Besides the Twitter trends, Courtney Love paid tribute to her late husband on Saturday through Instagram. She captioned, “Happy birthday beautiful boy,” followed by a quote from Nirvana’s 1992 compilation album Incesticide.
“At this point I have a request for our fans. If any of you hate homosexuals, people of a different color, or women, please, do this one favor for us -leave us the f— alone! Don’t come to our shows and don’t buy our records.”
Kurt Cobain’s Legacy
Characterized as a rock legend of his time, Kurt Cobain led the band Nirvana, conquering their success through his alternative, raw, songwriting and authentic style. He struggled with his band’s rise to glory as he detested his own fame, nothing like any rock gods who came before him. Cobain became a representative of the deprived youthful generation focusing on issues such as gay rights and feminism. Depression, addiction, and alcoholism overruled his life leading him to suicide in April 1994 at the age of 27. Today, his name remains high in the history books not only for his exceptional vocals, but for speaking up and supporting groups in society which were overshadowed.
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Great Quotes Reflecting His Perspective
“I definitely feel closer to the feminine side of the human being than I do the male – or the American idea of what a male is supposed to be. Just watch a beer commercial and you’ll see what I mean.” – Rolling Stone, 1992
“We have this conflict between good and evil and man and woman because there are people doing evil things to other people for no reason, and I just want to beat the shit out of them. That’s the bottom line. All I can do is scream into a microphone instead.” – Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana
