Run-DMC's Darryl McDaniels Reflects on Kurt Cobain's Death and His Own Struggles with Suicidal Feelings

Mar. 15, 2025

Darryl McDaniels (left), Kurt Cobain.Photo:Al Pereira/Getty Images/Michael Ochs Archives, Frank Micelotta/Getty Images

Al Pereira/Getty Images/Michael Ochs Archives, Frank Micelotta/Getty Images

Darryl “DMC” McDanielscould relate to the pressures facing one of rock’s biggest stars.

WhileRun-DMCwas enjoying their time at the height of hip-hop in the late ’80s, a new group was coming up on the underground alternative scene. McDaniels recalls hearing earlyNirvanaas the ’90s kicked off while appearing in the Generation X portion of NBC News Studio’s four-part documentary,My Generation.

“Nirvana was an honest expression of not being ashamed to put your angst on the front page,” he shares.

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Kurt Cobain performing in 1993.KMazur / Contributor / Getty Images

For McDaniels, that internal struggle was very familiar.

“I relate to Kurt because I was there. Later in my life, I became suicidal. And I’m fortunate to still be here, so I have a responsibility to talk about it,” he says.

“They have a song, ‘Come as You Are,’  come happy and high and jovial, come as depressed as you are. But unless you admit how you feel, whether good or bad, you never heal,” McDaniels notes, concluding, “We’re all in this together.”

Run-DMC.Bob Berg/Getty Images

Bob Berg/Getty Images

Earlier this year, McDanielstold PEOPLE why it’s important to himto open up about his complicated journey with his mental health.

“When I tell my truth, I am given everything necessary for me to overcome it. If I hold it in, it will destroy me,” he explained.

DMC said he was in a very dark place after the murder of Jam Master Jay in 2002 and was actually considering suicide. Then one day he was riding in a cab when he heardSarah McLachlan’s ballad “Angel.”

“Something in my spirit said, ‘D, it’s f—ed up right now. Life is traumatic. It feels like the world is ending, but as long as something that sounds like this exists, maybe I can stay here another day.'”

source: people.com