Helen Mirren said it’s ‘sad’ Kurt Cobain never got to use GPS
Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren said it’s “sad” Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain died before he got to experience the “magical” functionality of using a GPS.
“I always say, it’s so sad that Kurt Cobain died when he did, because he never saw GPS,” the 79-year-old actress said during an interview with the Evening Standard. “GPS is the most wonderful thing, to watch my little blue spot walking down the street. I just find it completely magical and unbelievable.”
Mirren, who most recently voiced the narration for Margot Robbie’s “Barbie” blockbuster, often brings up the “Smells Like Teen Spirit” singer when discussing aging.
Cobain was found dead at 27 years old on April 8, 1994 after police say he took a large dose of heroin and shot himself with a 20-gauge shotgun.
The Department of Defense launched a joint civil/military program to develop the GPS — or Global Positioning System — in 1973 but GPS navigation wasn’t available to use in people’s cars until the early 2000s, according to the Aerospace Corporation.
Mirren referenced the legendary rockstar in 2014, telling Oprah Winfrey “Look at Kurt Cobain — he hardly even saw a computer! The digital stuff that’s going on is so exciting. I’m just so curious about what happens next.”
In 2015, the actress told Cosmopolitan “I was thinking about Kurt Cobain the other day and he died without knowing the internet, and I’m totally blown away by that.”
Her comments about the “In Bloom” singer came as “The Queen” star discussed aging “fairly healthy.”
“I’m sure I’ll go all pear-shaped soon. But I’m not interested in being young. I’m interested in being exactly who I am,” Mirren joked.
The star, who was born in London on July 26, 1945, said she’s thankful to have grown up in a different time.
“I feel so grateful that I lived in a world without technology for quite some time. I knew a world without technology in a deep and full sense… Human connection was a very different thing back then,” Mirren told the Evening Standard.
