The white lighter myth or white lighter curse is an urban legend based on the 27 Club of which several members died while in possession of a white lighter, causing white lighters to be blamed for bad fortune. The myth is primarily based on the death of Kurt Cobain and has since been integrated with cannabis culture.
In 2017, Snopes.com published an article discrediting the theory, noting that Bic did not begin producing white disposable lighters until several years after the deaths of members of the 27 Club including Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison, and that disposable lighters produced by other companies were not widely available at this time. Snopes.com also noted that although there were two lighters found near Cobain's body following his death, neither of them were white nor were they in his pocket.