Carlson was a good friend of
Kurt Cobain of
Nirvana and, like Cobain, has struggled with
heroin addiction, particularly so after Cobain's death. Carlson purchased the gun that Cobain used to end his life, which he bought at Cobain's request six days before his death. He was actually with investigator Tom Grant when he searched Cobain's home, but they failed to search the greenhouse above the garage where his body was eventually discovered on April 8, 1994. In his biography of Cobain,
Heavier Than Heaven,
Charles R. Cross asserted that "
In Bloom" was a "thinly disguised portrait" of Carlson. He now lives in recovery of heroin addiction. He has survived a rare form of
hepatitis B and liver failure. Carlson was married to fellow
Earth member, drummer
Adrienne Davies for a time. Davies still remains in the band despite their split. ==Solo discography==