Courtney Love has accused The Muppets of "raping" the memory of Kurt Cobain.

The Hole singer feels the puppet group was disrespectful to her former husband - who committed suicide in 1994 - with their cover of his song "Smells Like Teen Spirit" in their recent comedy film.

She told website TMZ she thought the version of the Nirvana track, performed in the style of a barbershop quartet, was "raping" Kurt's legacy.

Courtney also claimed she has the absolute power to approve the use of his music for commercial purposes, and the song was used without her permission.

However, it is believed Courtney - who has made no secret of her financial problems in recent years - sold half of her rights to Kurt's songs to Primary Wave Music, as well as awarding the company exclusive rights to distribute Nirvana's back catalogue. Primary Wave approved the use of the song for The Muppets and also got permission from the two surviving Nirvana members and co-writers of the track, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic.

Dave even appears in the film, alongside characters such as Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear, Animal and Miss Piggy. Dave and Courtney have endured a long running feud, starting soon after Kurt's death in 1994.

"I don't care what you listen to at home, but if a guy takes off money off my kid's table, f**k him. Dave makes five million a show... why the f**k, then, does he have a Nirvana Inc. credit card and I don't?" she said in an on stage rant against him last year.

It also seems Courtney has had a change of heart toward the Muppets, as she previously appeared alongside Miss Piggy, performing a rendition of her track "Mono" on their TV series in 2004.