Background

Jimi Hendrix was one of the influential guitarists of the Sixties.^[2] Hendrix expanded the vary and vocabulary of the electrical guitar into areas the place no musician had ever ventured earlier than. His boundless drive, technical potential and inventive utility of such results as wah-wah and distortion ceaselessly reworked the sound of rock and roll.”^[1]

Hendrix on stage in Stockholm, Sweden, 1967

Throughout the week earlier than his loss of life, he was coping with two pending lawsuits, one a paternity case and the opposite a recording contract dispute that was attributable to be heard by a UK Excessive Court docket the next week.^{[3][nb 1]} He was additionally troubled with wanting to depart his supervisor, Michael Jeffery. Hendrix was fatigued and affected by poor well being, owing partially to extreme exhaustion attributable to overworking, a persistent lack of sleep, and a persistent sickness assumed to be influenza-related.^[6] Missing trusting private relationships, his insecurities concerning the future and disillusionment with the music trade contributed to his frustration.^[7]

On September 11, 1970, Hendrix gave his last interview in his suite on the Cumberland Lodge in London, the place he talked with Keith Altham, a journalist for Report Mirror.^[8] Throughout the interview, Hendrix confirmed studies that Billy Cox, the bass participant in his band, the Jimi Hendrix Expertise, was leaving.^[8] Cox, who had been affected by extreme exhaustion and was exhibiting signs of paranoia, mutually agreed with Hendrix that they need to droop their plans to collaborate musically.^[9] When Altham requested Hendrix: “Do you are feeling any form of compulsion to show your self as King Guitar”, Hendrix replied: “No, I do not even let that trouble me. As a result of they are saying numerous issues about those who, in the event that they let it trouble them, they would not even be round right now … King Guitar now? Wow, that is a bit heavy.”^[10] Altham additionally urged that Hendrix invented psychedelic music, to which he laughed and replied: “A mad scientist strategy … I do not take into account [my music] the invention of psychedelic, it is simply asking numerous questions.”^[11]

The Expertise in 1968

The next day, Hendrix acquired a telephone name from one among his girlfriends, Devon Wilson, who had turn into jealous after listening to rumors that he was courting one other lady, Kirsten Nefer. Nefer recalled: “I heard Jimi speak to Devon … she was mad … she went into matches … Jimi mentioned ‘Devon, get off my again'”.^[12] Hendrix was scheduled to carry out in Rotterdam on September 13, however the present, together with three others, was cancelled due to Cox’s incapacitation.^[4] Throughout the night of September 13, Nefer visited Hendrix on the Cumberland. After informing him that she must return to work that night, he satisfied her to telephone her boss, actor George Lazenby, and ask for the evening off. Lazenby grew to become indignant and shouted over the telephone to Nefer: “You are nothing however a fucking groupie”, which Hendrix overheard.^[4] The trade upset him, and he advised Nefer: “Do not you ever exit to that man once more”.^[4] Nefer defined to him that she had spent six months engaged on a movie with Lazenby and that she didn’t need to stop her job; Hendrix finally agreed.^[4] Nefer spent the evening with him and left within the morning.^[13]

Hendrix spent many of the early afternoon and night of September 14 discussing his profession plans with the document producer Alan Douglas. Within the early morning hours of September 15, he went to London’s Heathrow Airport with Douglas, who was returning to New York.^[13] Hendrix’s confidante Sharon Lawrence was in London, and spoke with him that day. Lawrence commented: “Jimi tracked me down, detailing his pressures and discussing the ‘so-called mates’. He was jittery and indignant.”^[13] In response to Lawrence, Hendrix advised her: “I am unable to sleep. I am unable to focus to put in writing any songs.”^[13] Later that afternoon, his girlfriend Monika Dannemann arrived on the Cumberland. She and Hendrix then drove to her house within the Samarkand Lodge, 22 Lansdowne Crescent, Notting Hill.^{[13][nb 2]}

Throughout the afternoon of September 15, Hendrix was requested by his pal Eric Burdon, previously of the Animals, if he wished to take part in a jam session at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Membership with Burdon’s newly fashioned band, Warfare. Hendrix accepted, however when he arrived on the membership that night, he was not allowed to play owing to his apparently drug-related disorientation. Burdon commented: “Jimi got here down and was nicely out of it. He … was wobbling an excessive amount of to play, so I advised him to come back again the next evening.”^[5] Hendrix returned the subsequent evening and offered a more healthy look. The group was enthusiastic and impressed by his efficiency regardless of his uncharacteristically subdued guitar enjoying when he sat in with Warfare on “Tobacco Street” and “Mom Earth”. This was the final time Hendrix performed guitar in public.^{[15][nb 3]}

Ultimate hours

Late morning and early afternoon

One of many final images of Hendrix, on the Samarkand Lodge, September 17, 1970^[17]

Though the small print of Hendrix’s final day and loss of life are unclear and broadly disputed, he had spent a lot of September 17 in London with Monika Dannemann.^[18] He awoke late that morning at Dannemann’s house within the Samarkand Lodge. By round 2 p.m., he was sitting in a backyard space outdoors the house having fun with some tea whereas she took images of him holding his favourite Fender Stratocaster guitar that he referred to as “Black Magnificence”.^[19] Within the opinion of creator Tony Brown, “Jimi does not look significantly wholesome in these images: his face appears slightly puffy and on solely a couple of of the photographs does he try and smile.”^{[20][nb 4]}

In response to Dannemann, by 3 p.m. that they had left the house to make use of a financial institution. They continued on to Kensington Market, the place Hendrix signed an autograph for a younger boy, bought a leather-based jacket, and ordered some footwear.^[23] He additionally briefly spoke along with his ex-girlfriend Kathy Etchingham, inviting her to go to him at his resort that night at 8 p.m.; she declined the invitation due to prior engagements, and later admitted that she had “regretted it ever since”.^[24] Hendrix and Dannemann then went to a Chelsea antiques market, the place Hendrix bought extra clothes.^[24] After one other cease to purchase writing paper, which he used to compose his last lyrics, Dannemann and Hendrix drove to his suite on the Cumberland Lodge, assembly Devon Wilson as she walked down King’s Street. Hendrix requested Dannemann to cease the automotive in order that he might get out and speak with Wilson, who invited Hendrix to a celebration that night.^[24] Dannemann grew to become jealous, giving Wilson a chilly stare through the temporary assembly.^[25] Later, Phillip Harvey invited Dannemann and Hendrix to tea; they accepted. Previous to their arrival at Harvey’s, they briefly stopped by the Cumberland.^{[26][nb 5]}

Whereas on the resort, Hendrix made a number of phone calls. Dannemann mentioned he phoned his lawyer Henry Steingarten, asking him to discover a approach out of his contract along with his supervisor Mike Jeffery, and producer Eddie Kramer, for whom Hendrix left a voice message.^{[26][nb 6]} Mitch Mitchell mentioned that he referred to as Hendrix on the Cumberland on September 17, after having been requested to take action by tour supervisor Gerry Stickells, who had spoken to Hendrix simply minutes earlier.^{[28][nb 7]} Mitchell mentioned that through the telephone dialog Hendrix agreed to hitch him round midnight on the Speakeasy Membership for a beforehand organized jam session, which included Sly Stone.^{[30][nb 8]}

Late afternoon and night

After stopping on the Cumberland, Hendrix and Dannemann accompanied Harvey to his house, arriving round 5:30 p.m. Hendrix and Dannemann smoked cannabis and drank tea and wine with Harvey and two of his feminine companions whereas discussing their particular person careers.^[25] Someday round 10 p.m., Dannemann, apparently feeling ignored of the dialog and jealous of the eye Hendrix was giving Harvey’s feminine mates, grew to become visibly upset and stormed out of the flat.^[33] Hendrix adopted her, and an argument ensued between them throughout which Dannemann reportedly shouted: “you fucking pig”.^[33] Harvey, involved that their yelling would draw undesirable consideration from the police, requested them to cool down.^[33]

Harvey, who had remained silent concerning the incident out of respect for his English nobleman father, Arthur Vere Harvey, gave an affidavit after his father’s loss of life in 1994. In his assertion, he claims to have been mildly involved for Hendrix’s security, anxious that Dannemann may “resort to severe bodily violence”.^[34] In response to Harvey, Dannemann “verbally assaulted [Hendrix] in essentially the most offensive potential approach”.^[35] Roughly half-hour later, Hendrix re-entered the flat and apologized for the outburst earlier than leaving with Dannemann at 10:40 p.m.^[33]
Dannemann mentioned she then ready a meal for them at her house round 11 p.m. and shared a bottle of wine with Hendrix.^[36] Someday after returning to the house, Hendrix took a shower, then wrote a poem titled “The Story of Life”.^[37]

Early morning

At roughly 1:45 a.m. on Friday, September 18, Dannemann drove Hendrix to the celebration Wilson had invited him to earlier that day, which was hosted by Hendrix’s acquaintance and enterprise affiliate, Pete Kameron. On the celebration, Hendrix complained to Kameron about enterprise issues, ate some meals, and took a minimum of one amphetamine pill.^{[37][nb 9]} Roughly half-hour later, Dannemann rang the flat’s intercom asking for Hendrix. One other visitor, Stella Douglas, requested her to return later. In response to visitor Angie Burdon, the estranged spouse of Eric Burdon of the Animals, when Dannemann got here again round quarter-hour later, Douglas used an assertive strategy along with her to the purpose of being rude. Undeterred, Dannemann demanded to talk with Hendrix. Burdon recalled: “[Hendrix] obtained indignant as a result of [Dannemann] would not go away him alone.”^{[37][nb 10]} In response to Burdon, different visitors on the celebration shouted out the home windows at Dannemann, asking her to depart.^[40] Hendrix finally yielded and spoke with Dannemann earlier than unexpectedly leaving the celebration round 3 a.m.^[37]

Dannemann, the one eyewitness to Hendrix’s last hours, mentioned that someday after 3 a.m., she ready two tuna fish sandwiches for them after arriving again at her basement house.^[41] Round 4 a.m., Hendrix, scuffling with insomnia after having consumed amphetamines hours earlier, requested her for sleeping tablets. She later mentioned she refused his request hoping he would go to sleep naturally.^[42] Dannemann mentioned she surreptitiously took a sleeping pill someday round 6 a.m., with Hendrix nonetheless awake. She awoke someday between 10 and 10:20 a.m. to seek out him sleeping usually in mattress subsequent to her.^[43] She mentioned she then left to buy cigarettes, and when she returned round 11 a.m., discovered him in mattress respiration, though unconscious and unresponsive. She telephoned for an ambulance at 11:18 a.m. and one arrived at 11:27 a.m.^[36]

When ambulance crew members Reg Jones and John Saua arrived on the Samarkand, the door to the flat was broad open, the gasoline fireplace was on, the curtains had been drawn, and the house was darkish. The crew referred to as out a number of occasions, however after receiving no response, they entered and located Hendrix alone in mattress. Dannemann was nowhere to be discovered.^[44] In response to Jones: “Nicely, we needed to get the police, we solely had [Hendrix] and an empty flat, so John ran up and radioed, and obtained the aspirator … It was horrific. He was coated in vomit. There was tons of it all around the pillow—black and brown it was. His airway was fully blocked all the way in which down … We felt his pulse … confirmed a light-weight in his eyes. However there was no response in any respect.”^[45] At 11:30 a.m., law enforcement officials Ian Smith and Tom Keene responded to a name for police help from the ambulance management centre.^[46] Jones commented: “As soon as the police arrived, which appeared like no time in any respect, we obtained [Hendrix] off to hospital as fast as we might.”^[45]

The ambulance crew left the resort at roughly 11:35 a.m. to take Hendrix to St Mary Abbot’s Hospital and so they arrived at 11:45 a.m.^[47] Medical registrar Martin Seifert acknowledged: “Jimi was rushed into the [resuscitation] room. He was placed on a monitor, but it surely [ECG trace] was flat. I pounded his coronary heart [CPR] a few occasions, however there was no level, he was lifeless”.^[48] In response to Seifert, the try and resuscitate Hendrix lasted “just some minutes”.^[48] The surgical registrar, John Bannister, commented: “He was chilly and he was blue. He had all of the parameters of somebody who had been lifeless for a while. We labored on him for about half an hour with none response in any respect.”^[48] Bannister pronounced Hendrix lifeless at 12:45 p.m., on Friday, September 18, 1970; he was 27 years previous.^[49] He later acknowledged: “On admission he was clearly lifeless. He had no pulse, no heartbeat, and the try and resuscitate him was merely a formality.”^{[50][nb 11]}

Media response

Throughout the morning of September 18, Eric Burdon arrived on the Samarkand someday earlier than the ambulance crew and located that Hendrix was already lifeless. Burdon instantly grew to become involved that police would discover medicine on the house, and as he was gathering incriminating proof, he discovered the poem that Hendrix had written hours earlier, “The Story of Life”.^[54] Burdon, who mentioned he had beforehand mentioned suicide and loss of life with Hendrix, assumed the poem was a suicide word. Below this assumption, he made feedback to the press concerning his perception that Hendrix had dedicated suicide that he has since recanted: “I made false statements … I merely did not perceive what the scenario was. I misinterpret the word … I assumed it was a goodbye”.^{[55][nb 12]} Dannemann mentioned Hendrix advised her: “I need you to maintain this [poem] ceaselessly [and] I do not need you to overlook something that’s written. It is a story about you and me”.^{[32][nb 13]}

Quickly after Bannister pronounced Hendrix lifeless, a hospital spokesperson advised the press: “We do not know the place, how, or why he died, however he died of an overdose.”^[57] By that night, many newspapers in London and New York had printed sensationalized headlines that exploited the death-from-overdose account.^[58] Hendrix’s public relations supervisor, Les Perrin, granted an interview on Dutch radio quickly after the hospital announcement. He commented: “Nicely, all I do know is that Mr. Hendrix’s physique was taken to St. Mary Abbots Hospital in Kensington, London, at 11:45 this morning, and he was licensed to be lifeless on arrival.”^[57] At 2 p.m., BBC Radio 1 reported: “Jimi Hendrix, regarded by tens of millions as one of the proficient and unique performers in trendy rock music, is lifeless.”^[59] That night, The New York Instances described him as “a genius black musician, a guitarist, singer and composer of brilliantly dramatic energy. He spoke in gestures as large as he might think about and create.”^[51]

On September 19, Dannemann spoke with a journalist for the German tabloid Bild. Throughout the interview, printed on September 24, Dannemann acknowledged: “I cherished him, and Jimi cherished me … We had been already engaged … I might then have designed the sleeves for his data … He couldn’t sleep. So I gave him the tablets.”^{[60][nb 14]} On September 20, a reporter from The Day by day Telegraph interviewed Dannemann’s brother, Klaus-Peter Dannemann, who acknowledged: “[Monika] telephoned me on [September 19] and advised me that [Hendrix] took 9 sleeping tablets. She mentioned that Jimi had advised her that he wished to sleep for a day and a half earlier than he went to America. She advised me that he didn’t intend to kill himself.”^[62]

Publish-mortem

To find out the reason for loss of life, the coroner, Gavin Thurston, ordered a autopsy examination on Hendrix’s physique, which was carried out on September 21, by Professor Robert Donald Teare, a forensic pathologist.^[63] Teare reported that Hendrix was “nicely nourished and muscular”, and he recognized a quarter-inch scar on Hendrix’s left wrist.^{[64][nb 15]} He mentioned that there have been “no stigmata of [intravenous] drug habit. As soon as these marks are there [in the skin], they by no means go away. On this case, there have been no marks in any respect.”^[66] Though Teare noticed that the best facet of Hendrix’s coronary heart was broadly dilated, he discovered no proof of valvular coronary heart illness. He found {a partially} collapsed left lung and 400 ml of fluid in Hendrix’s chest. Each lungs had been congested, and vomit was discovered within the smaller bronchi.^[67] In response to Teare, Hendrix’s abdomen “contained a medium-sized partially digested meal through which rice may very well be distinguished.”^[68] Teare concluded that Hendrix’s kidneys had been wholesome, and his liver was congested. His “bladder was half filled with clear urine.”^[68] He acknowledged that Hendrix’s blood alcohol content material was 100 mg per 100 ml, “sufficient to fail a breathalyzer check … the equal of about 4 pints of beer.”^[69] Teare reported that evaluation of Hendrix’s blood “revealed a mix of barbiturates in keeping with these from Vesparax”, and he estimated that drug concentrations translated to ingestion of 1.8 grams of barbiturate, 20 mg of amphetamine, and 20 mg of hashish.^{[70][nb 16]} Teare gave the reason for loss of life as: “Inhalation of vomit attributable to barbiturate intoxication.”^[68] He didn’t try to find out Hendrix’s time of loss of life.^{[72][nb 17]}

Thurston started an inquest on September 23, and on September 28 he concluded that Hendrix had aspirated his personal vomit and died of asphyxia whereas intoxicated with barbiturates.^[74] Citing “inadequate proof of [the] circumstances”, he recorded an open verdict.^[75] He commented: “The reason for loss of life was clearly inhalation of vomit attributable to barbiturate intoxication, however there isn’t any proof as to intention to commit suicide … If the query of intention can’t be answered, then it’s correct to seek out the reason for loss of life and go away it an open verdict.”^[76] Dannemann later acknowledged that Hendrix had taken 9 of her prescribed Vesparax sleeping tablets. Supposed to be taken in half-tablet doses, 9 tablets of the highly effective sedative amounted to 18 occasions the really helpful quantity.^{[77][nb 18]}

After Hendrix’s physique had been embalmed by Desmond Henley,^[79] it was flown to Seattle, Washington, on September 29.^[80] After a service at Dunlap Baptist Church on October 1, he was interred at Greenwood Cemetery in Renton, Washington, the placement of his mom’s gravesite.^[81] Hendrix’s household and mates traveled in 24 limousines. Greater than 2 hundred folks attended the funeral, together with a number of notable musicians resembling the unique Expertise members Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding, in addition to Miles Davis, John Hammond and Johnny Winter.^[82]

Inconsistencies and the Scotland Yard inquiry

Tony Brown, creator of Jimi Hendrix: The Ultimate Days (1997), had been in common contact with Dannemann from 1980 till her loss of life in 1996. He visited along with her on a number of events and spoke along with her quite a few occasions over the telephone. Quickly after contacting her, Brown got here to the conclusion that her account of the occasions of Hendrix’s last days “would change from one name to the subsequent.”^[83] Within the days following Hendrix’s loss of life, she gave two considerably completely different accounts of the morning of September 18.^[84]

At roughly 4 p.m. on September 18, Dannemann advised Police Sergeant John Shaw: “We went to sleep about 7 a.m. After I awoke at eleven his face was coated in vomit, and he was respiration noisily. I despatched for an ambulance, and he was taken to hospital. I additionally seen that ten of my sleeping tablets had been lacking.”^{[85][nb 19]} In an announcement given to P. Weyell of the coroner’s workplace on September 24, she mentioned:

I made a sandwich and we talked till about 7 a.m. He then mentioned that he wished to fall asleep. He took some tablets, and we went to mattress. I awoke about 11:00 a.m., and noticed that Jimi’s face was coated in vomit. I attempted to wake him however couldn’t. I referred to as an ambulance and he was taken to the hospital in Kensington … Previous to going with him to the hospital, I checked my provide of Vesparax sleeping tablets and located that 9 of them had been lacking.^{[87][nb 20]}

In Dannemann’s preliminary statements, she mentioned she awoke at 11 a.m. on September 18.^[89] Throughout the inquest she acknowledged that she awoke at 10:20 a.m., and left to buy cigarettes, one thing she had beforehand failed to say.^[90] In 1971, she wrote a manuscript through which she mentioned she awoke at 10 a.m. In 1975, throughout an interview with creator Caesar Glebbeek, Dannemann acknowledged that she awoke at 9 a.m.^[86] In response to Burdon, Dannemann phoned him as “the primary gentle of daybreak was coming by way of the window.”^{[91][nb 21][nb 22]} Stickells mentioned he acquired a telephone name concerning an issue with Hendrix “between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.”^[88] Mitchell mentioned he waited for Hendrix on the Speakeasy Membership till they closed at 4 a.m., and a few hours after his hour and a half drive house, he acquired a telephone name from Stickells, who advised him Hendrix had died.^[95] In her statements to the police and coroner’s workplace, Dannemann by no means talked about telephoning Burdon.^{[76][nb 23]}

Though Dannemann claimed that Hendrix was alive when positioned within the ambulance at roughly 11:30 a.m. and that she rode with him on the way in which to the hospital, the ambulance crew later denied she was there.^[97] Statements from the paramedics who responded to the decision help that they discovered Hendrix alone within the flat once they arrived at 11:27 a.m., absolutely clothed and apparently already lifeless.^[98] Jones later commented: “[When] we arrived on the flat, the door was flung broad open, no person about, simply the physique on the mattress.”^[99] Saua acknowledged: “There was simply me and the casualty and Reg the driving force. No person else.”^[46] Burdon acknowledged: “[Dannemann] did not go away within the ambulance; she was with me”.^[100] In response to Jones, Hendrix’s bowels and bladder had launched a few of their contents previous to the ambulance crew’s arrival on the Samarkand.^[45] Saua acknowledged that the vomit was dry once they arrived, making use of their aspirator ineffective.^[101] Saua commented: “After we moved [Hendrix], the gases had been gurgling, you get that when somebody has died”.^[101] In response to police officer Smith: “The ambulance males had been there, however Jimi was lifeless … There was actually nothing they might do for him.”^{[47][nb 24]} Smith additionally disputes Dannemann’s declare that she was there with Hendrix on the flat and within the ambulance:

No, I keep in mind fairly clearly the doorways shutting on the crew and Jimi … there was nobody about. If she had been within the flat, they might by no means have referred to as us to come back … However as a result of nobody was there, he was lifeless, and circumstances had been slightly odd, suspicious, they radioed … us in. It wasn’t till later within the day that I discovered that it was Jimi Hendrix.^[47]

In 1992, after having performed an in depth evaluate of the occasions of September 18, 1970, the London Ambulance Service issued an official assertion: “There was nobody else, besides the deceased, on the flat once they arrived; nor did anybody else accompany them within the ambulance to St. Mary Abbotts Hospital.”^{[46][nb 25]}

In 1992, having organized for a personal investigation of Hendrix’s loss of life, Etchingham equipped the outcomes of the trouble to UK authorities and requested they reopen the coroner’s inquest.^[105] After a several-month inquiry by Scotland Yard, throughout which each celebration to the occasions was interviewed, officers had been assured the request can be granted.^[106] The investigation finally proved inconclusive in 1993, when Legal professional Common Sir Nicholas Lyell determined that continuing with the investigation wouldn’t serve the general public, owing partially to the extreme time that had handed since Hendrix’s loss of life.^{[107][nb 26]}

See additionally

• 27 Membership

Notes

Citations

Sources

Additional studying