Dave Grohl almost quit music after Kurt Cobain death until random hitchhiker encounter

Dave Grohl has recalled how he nearly quit music after the death of Kurt Cobain in 1994 and it was an encounter with a random hitchhiker which ultimately changed his mind.

Cobain, who fronted Nirvana, died over 30 years ago and was just 27 years old when he passed away.

A coroner ruled his death as suicide.

Grohl was the drummer in the band and went on to found rock band Foo Fighters that same year, of which he is the lead singer, guitarist, principal songwriter, and only consistent member.

Life could have been so different for the 57-year-old though, with Grohl revealing in a recent TV interview that he almost quit the industry for good after his Nirvana bandmate Cobain passed away.

Dave Grohl, Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic of Nirvana (Photo by Kevin Mazur Archive/WireImage)

Speaking on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Grohl said: "When Nirvana ended I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know if I wanted to continue playing music. It made me sad to think of playing in another band. Losing Nirvana, losing Kurt [Cobain], was a really dark, emotional experience."

During that difficult time, Grohl recalled wanting to 'disappear' and decided to spend a bit of time to clear his head in Ireland.

The singer was driving on a country road through Ireland and spotted a hitchhiker wearing a Cobain t-shirt.

"To me, I thought, ‘Okay this is the universe telling me to continue,'" Grohl added.

"I thought, ‘Okay, I need to keep going. I have so much reverence and respect for the past, but I need to have a future.’ And that’s kind of where it began."

Dave Grohl's encounter with a hitchhiker made him continue in music (Michael Buckner/Billboard via Getty Images)

The American's daughter, Violet, is releasing her debut album this month and it's safe to say she's received a lot of good advice from her father over the years.

Grohl decided to share his best advice on The Late Show for those inspiring to break through in the music industry.

He said: "The reward has to be the music itself. You work hard and you want to be successful and you want to be the best that you can be. But at the end of the day the most important thing is your love of music and that you love the music that you’re making.

"As I told Violet, I want her to really appreciate these early experience. Don’t wish any of this away and don’t get too ahead of yourself. Be in the moment right now. I really want her to appreciate this now part. Because this now part does become the foundation of everything that comes next."