The Damned drummer Rat Scabies recently shared a shocking story about Courtney Love abandoning her daughter Frances Bean Cobain with him and The Clash’s Joe Strummer for several days. He revealed this in an interview on the Messy Lunch podcast.
Scabies recounted the bizarre incident that occurred while he and Strummer were working in a Los Angeles studio and staying at the Mondrian Hotel.
“[I met Courtney] once. She dumped the baby on me and Joe Strummer and f*cked off for three days,” Scabies said. “Me and Joe [The Clash’s Joe Strummer] had been in the studio for a while, and he’d booked us some rooms at the Mondrian [Hotel in Los Angeles]. And we were out by the pool, our first day off… And she turned up with Beanie, or [Frances Bean]. And then, just took off with this bloke down at the chalets. He was a singer.”
The situation quickly became problematic when the musicians realized Love had completely disappeared. They were left responsible for the infant.
“So, we went down to the studio [to], you know, carry on… We left the baby with Joe’s wife. And then, his Mrs. rang up a few hours later. [She said], ‘I don’t know what to f*cking do. I’ve still got a baby here. And she’s [Courtney] vanished,'” he continued.
Scabies described how they managed the unexpected childcare situation until more experienced help arrived.
“[We] put it in some funny clothes. But that was it. Seriously, you know. And luckily, there were people around, who were like, ‘We’re used to dealing with Courtney.’ And they took Beanie, Frances Bean. And then a day or so later she claimed ’em back,” he concluded.
This incident represents just one chapter in a long history of custody battles and parenting controversies surrounding Courtney Love and her daughter Frances Bean Cobain.
Love’s struggles with substance abuse have repeatedly impacted her ability to maintain custody of Frances Bean throughout the years. The Los Angeles Times reported that Love lost custody of her daughter in October 2003 after being arrested at an ex-boyfriend’s home and testing positive for cocaine and opiates.
However, Love’s custody situation improved when she demonstrated progress in her recovery. The Los Angeles Times noted that Love regained full custody in 2005 after a judge’s ruling. Her lawyer stated that the singer had achieved new stability and sobriety in her life.
The custody battles extended beyond Love’s direct control and involved other family members. Wikipedia documented that in December 2009, a California Superior Court appointed Frances Bean’s paternal grandmother Wendy O’Connor and her father’s sister Kimberly Cobain as temporary co-guardians.
The court’s decision included strict restrictions on Love’s contact with her daughter. Wikipedia indicated that a judge issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting Love from having any direct or indirect contact with Frances Bean during this period. This highlighted the severity of the custody concerns at the time.
