Kurt Cobain “Smells Like Teen Spirit” guitar. (Courtesy of Christie’s)
The guitar Kurt Cobain played in Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video has broken the record for the most expensive Cobain guitar sold at auction.
The left-handed ’60s Fender Mustang sold for $6.907 million at a Christie’s auction on Thursday, beating its estimate of between $2.5 million and $5 million. The guitar was part of the collection of late Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, who purchased it for around $4.5 million in 2022.
This latest sale eclipses the $6 million Cobain’s 1959 Martin D-18E, which he famously played during Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged performance, went for in a 2020 auction.
At the time, the Unplugged guitar set the record for the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction. Not only was that mark beaten by the “Teen Spirit” guitar, it was surpassed twice more in the very same Christie’s sale. Jerry Garcia’s custom-built “Tiger” guitar sold for $11.56 million, while David Gilmour’s famed “Black Strat” sold for $14.55 million. The Pink Floyd icon’s guitar now officially holds the record for the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction.
Kurt Cobain “Smells Like Teen Spirit” guitar. (Courtesy of Christie’s)
The guitar Kurt Cobain played in Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video has broken the record for the most expensive Cobain guitar sold at auction.
The left-handed ’60s Fender Mustang sold for $6.907 million at a Christie’s auction on Thursday, beating its estimate of between $2.5 million and $5 million. The guitar was part of the collection of late Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, who purchased it for around $4.5 million in 2022.
This latest sale eclipses the $6 million Cobain’s 1959 Martin D-18E, which he famously played during Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged performance, went for in a 2020 auction.
At the time, the Unplugged guitar set the record for the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction. Not only was that mark beaten by the “Teen Spirit” guitar, it was surpassed twice more in the very same Christie’s sale. Jerry Garcia’s custom-built “Tiger” guitar sold for $11.56 million, while David Gilmour’s famed “Black Strat” sold for $14.55 million. The Pink Floyd icon’s guitar now officially holds the record for the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction.
Lainey Wilson’s first new music since the Whirlwind era is out now, with a new track she co-wrote called “Can’t Sit Still.”
The new track is seemingly a reflection of everything the CMA and ACM entertainer of the year has going on in her life these days. It arrives the same day that she makes her big-screen debut in Colleen Hoover’s Reminders of Him.
On Tuesday Lainey’s documentary, Keepin’ Country Cool, premieres at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, ahead of its April 22 debut on Netflix.
Just as Lainey seems to be closing the Whirlwind chapter of her music, she did the same with her concerts, wrapping the Australian and New Zealand leg of the Whirlwind World Tour in February. Next up, she plays RodeoHouston on Thursday.
Lainey Wilson’s first new music since the Whirlwind era is out now, with a new track she co-wrote called “Can’t Sit Still.”
The new track is seemingly a reflection of everything the CMA and ACM entertainer of the year has going on in her life these days. It arrives the same day that she makes her big-screen debut in Colleen Hoover’s Reminders of Him.
On Tuesday Lainey’s documentary, Keepin’ Country Cool, premieres at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, ahead of its April 22 debut on Netflix.
Just as Lainey seems to be closing the Whirlwind chapter of her music, she did the same with her concerts, wrapping the Australian and New Zealand leg of the Whirlwind World Tour in February. Next up, she plays RodeoHouston on Thursday.
David Gilmour’s ‘The Black Strat’ guitar (Courtesy of Christie’s)
A guitar previously owned by Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour has broken records at auction.
Gilmour’s black Fender Stratocaster, known as “The Black Strat,” brought in a record-setting $14.55 million from an online bidder at a Christie’s auction on Thursday. According to the auction house, the guitar was part of a 21-minute online bidding war.
That price tag for Gilmour’s guitar is now the highest amount ever paid for a guitar at auction, beating Kurt Cobain’s Martin D-180E, which he played during Nirvana’s Unplugged episode, which brought in over $6 million in 2020.
According to Christie’s, Gilmour’s guitar was used in the recording of six Pink Floyd albums, including 1973’s The Dark Side of the Moon, 1975’s Wish You Were Here, 1977’s Animals and 1979’s The Wall. He also recorded most of his 1978 self-titled solo debut on the guitar.
In 2019 the guitar was purchased at auction by the late Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay for $5 million. The latest sale was part of a larger Christie’s auction of Irsay’s vast memorabilia collection.
Other records set in Thursday’s auction include: a guitar Cobain used for Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video sold for $6.9 million, the highest price for one of the rocker’s instruments; a custom Jerry Garcia-owned guitar known as “The Tiger” brought in $11.56 million, the highest price ever for a Garcia guitar; and John Lennon’s Broadwood upright piano, on which he composed songs for The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, sold for over $3.2 million, the most expensive Beatles item ever sold.
The Jim Irsay Collection auction, featuring over 400 items, continues through Tuesday.
Elegant Weapons, the band featuring Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner, has announced a new album called Evolution.
The sophomore follow-up to the group’s 2023 debut, Horns for a Halo, is due out April 24. The first single, titled “Bridges Burn,” is out now.
Alongside Faulkner, Elegant Weapons features Rainbow vocalist Ronnie Romero, Uriah Heep bassist Dave Rimmer and Accept drummer Christopher Williams
“This record represents growth in every sense,” Faulkner says in a statement. “When the four of us come together, we sound like Elegant Weapons. We’ve spent time on the road, we’ve developed a chemistry, and you can hear that evolution in the performances.”
The most recent Judas Priest album is 2024’s Invincible Shield. They will be touring Europe over the summer.
Here’s the Evolution track list: “Evil Eyes” “Generation Me” “Bridges Burn” “Holy Roller” “Come Back to Me” “The Devil Calls” “Thrown to the Wolves” “Shooting Shadows” “Rupture” “Mercy of the Fallen” “Keeper of the Keys”
Quincy Jones is honored with Hand and Footprint Ceremony at TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX on November 27, 2018, in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
The Quincy Jones estate is putting new measures in place to keep the late producer’s legacy alive. The estate has signed a deal with HarbourView Equity Partners, granting it ownership of select music and non-music assets from Quincy Jones, including portions of his recorded music, publishing assets and his participation in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
HarbourView will also work with the estate on future initiatives tied to Quincy’s name, image and likeness, helping ensure his legacy is preserved and his music is protected against “unauthorized and exploitative uses,” according to a press release. The goal, the release adds, is to ensure that “future generations can fully understand and appreciate his global impact on music and culture.”
“Our father was endlessly curious and always ahead of his time. Long before anyone talked about ‘multi-platform,’ he was already building bridges and connecting the dots across music, film, television, publishing, technology and culture, creating iconic juggernauts like Thriller, The Color Purple, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Vibe,” Quincy’s daughter Rashida Jones said in a statement on behalf of the Jones family. “These projects didn’t just succeed; they became the gold standard. As his children, our responsibility is to protect not only the catalog, but the spirit and love behind it. HarbourView understands that legacy and has the vision and expertise to help ensure future generations can feel the full scope of his everlasting impact.”
His son, Quincy Jones III, added that the family has great confidence that his “father’s legacy will be thoughtfully protected and carried forward” through the partnership with HarbourView.
Law enforcement respond near Temple Israel following reports of an active shooter on March 12, 2026 in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Police continue to investigate as emergency personnel remained on the scene. (Photo by Emily Elconin/Getty Images)
(WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich.) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called on people to “lower the temperature” and call out antisemitism following Thursday’s attack on a Detroit-area synagogue that she said on Friday “could have looked a lot more like Sandy Hook” had it not been for security.
And while the governor and other leaders said law enforcement is trying to comb through more evidence about the incident, more information is coming to light about the man who was killed by security guards after he rammed his truck into the temple.
Dearborn Heights Mayor Mo Baydoun said that 41-year-old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, who lived in his city, had “lost several members of his own family … in an Israeli attack on their home in Lebanon.”
Baydoun joined other leaders in condemning the attack, which took place as children were inside the temple.
“This tragedy comes at a time when communities everywhere are confronting rising hate and senseless violence. No matter where violence occurs, whether in West Bloomfield or anywhere around in the world, harm against innocent people is something we must all stand firmly against,” he said.
“The tensions we see across the world too often find their way into our own neighborhoods, reminding us how deeply connected our shared safety is,” the mayor added.
The suspect was armed with a rifle, and the truck contained fireworks and an unidentified chemical agent that ignited soon after the crash, law enforcement sources told ABC News.
Nobody inside the synagogue was hurt, and the synagogue noted that all 140 students as well as staff, teachers and security all returned home, Whitmer told reporters Friday morning.
The sheriff’s office said one synagogue security guard was hit by the suspect’s truck in the incident and was “knocked unconscious” but was expected to be okay.
Whitmer said she was angry at the situation and said the Jewish community has been on heightened alert because of the rise in antisemitic attacks, threats and rhetoric over the last couple of months.
“People like the person who attacked this community yesterday get fulminated by rhetoric that they see online and they see on television and hear on the radio. It radicalizes them,” she said.
The governor reiterated that there were children under a year old inside the synagogue during the incident.
“My friend Brian said this could have looked a lot more like Sandy Hook. Let’s not lose sight of that,” Whitmer said.
“This is not a political debate, this is targeting babies who are Jewish. This is antisemitism at its absolute worst,” she added.
A Boeing C-135 Stratotanker / Stratolifter military aircraft known as KC-135 of the United States Air Force USAF configured as Air Tanker Transport for aerial refueling. (Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Six service members were killed when their refueling aircraft “went down” in friendly airspace in western Iraq, according to U.S. Central Command.
“All six crew members aboard a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft that went down in western Iraq are now confirmed deceased. The aircraft was lost while flying over friendly airspace March 12 during Operation Epic Fury,” CENTCOM said Friday.
The KC-135 aircraft went down at approximately 2 p.m. ET on Thursday when two aircraft were involved in “an incident,” CENTCOM said in a brief statement, confirming that “one of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely.”
Gen. Dan Caine addressed the crashed refueling plane, saying the incident is being treated as an active rescue and recovery mission.
“The incident occurred over friendly territory in western Iraq while the crew was on a combat mission, and again, was not the result, as CENTCOM has said, was not the result of hostile or friendly fire,” Caine said Friday. “We’re still treating this as an active rescue and recovery operation, as CENTCOM announced this morning, four airmen have been recovered, and the Air Force and US Central Command will provide updates as information becomes available.”
The other aircraft involved was also a KC-135 tanker, according to a U.S. official.
The circumstances of the incident are currently under investigation and the identities of the service members who died in the incident are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin have been notified, officials said.
KC-135 aircraft are not equipped with parachutes and do not have ejection seats, which are primarily in fighter aircraft, officials have told ABC News.
Passengers and crew members of KC-135s instead are trained on how to exit the aircraft when it is on land or on water, officials said.
According to a 2008 Air Force profile of the tanker crews, the move to get rid of parachutes was made because the tankers “seldom have mishaps, and the likelihood a KC-135 crew member would ever need to use a parachute is extremely low.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
‘Celebrity Jeopardy! All-Stars’ host Ken Jennings (Disney/Eric McCandless)
Celebrity Jeopardy! is back with a twist. This season’s tournament, Celebrity Jeopardy! All-Stars, sees past celebrity contestants returning for another shot at the Jeopardy! crown. In addition, the three previous champs — Ike Barinholtz, Lisa Ann Walter and W. Kamau Bell — head right to the second round for a chance to defend their titles.
Host Ken Jennings tells ABC Audio he admires any celeb who comes to compete because “they’re really putting themselves out there.”
“Anything can happen on the Alex Trebek Stage,” he says, noting that while the celebs may be playing for charity, they still want to win and make a good impression.
“You know, they don’t wanna go viral with a wrong response,” he says. “This is not SNL Celebrity Jeopardy! where we’re just throwing them a bunch of softballs. They have to know real facts and do it fast.”
While the celebrities take the competition seriously, there’s certainly a looser feel on set, which Jennings believes is because the stars are more comfortable in front of a camera than regular Jeopardy! contestants are.
“On Celebrity, if anything they’re too comfortable,” he says. “They’re having a good time. They’re joking around.”
Jennings says one perk for the celebrity contestants is they get to prove to the public just how smart they are and that “they’re not just pretty faces.”
“It does seem unfair, by the way, that they have pretty faces,” Jennings jokes. “Like can’t Jeopardy! be our thing? Like, can’t nerds have one thing?”
He adds, “I always get a little upset when someone very talented is also good at Jeopardy! Like, come on.”
Celebrity Jeopardy! All-Stars debuts Friday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and will stream on Hulu the next day.
