Jimi Hendrix

Lore & Background

During the week before his death, Hendrix navigated immense personal pressure. On September 11, he gave his final interview at the Cumberland Hotel with Keith Altham of the New Musical Express (NME), where he dismissed the title 'King Guitar' as 'a bit heavy' and clarified that his music was not an invention of psychedelia but simply 'asking a lot of questions.' Tensions mounted within his band; bassist Billy Cox, suffering from severe exhaustion and paranoia, abruptly left the tour after the Stockholm show on September 6, leading to the cancellation of four scheduled shows in Rotterdam that had been set for September 2–4. Personal conflicts also flared when girlfriend Devon Wilson became jealous over rumors involving Kirsten Nefer. Later that month, while staying at the Samarkand Hotel in Notting Hill, Hendrix joined Eric Burdon and War on stage at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club on September 16 for his final public performance, delivering renditions of 'Tobacco Road' and 'Mother Earth'.

In Their Own Story

Hendrix spent much of his last day alive with Monika Dannemann at the Samarkand Hotel. On the morning of September 18, Dannemann found him unresponsive in their apartment. She called an ambulance at 11:18 a.m., and he was rushed to St Mary Abbots Hospital for resuscitation attempts before being pronounced dead at 12:45 p.m. The post-mortem examination determined he died of asphyxia after aspirating his own vomit while intoxicated with barbiturates. Dannemann claimed he had taken nine Vesparax sleeping tablets, eighteen times the recommended dosage. At the inquest, the coroner recorded an open verdict due to a lack of evidence for suicide or specific circumstances. On October 1, 1970, Hendrix was interred at Greenwood Cemetery in Renton, Washington. Decades later, Kathy Etchingham urged British authorities to reopen the case; a Scotland Yard inquiry proved inconclusive, and no further investigation proceeded in 1993.

Reader's Guide

The timeline of Hendrix's final week reveals a man grappling with exhaustion and legal entanglements while trying to maintain his creative spirit. On September 14, he discussed career plans with producer Alan Douglas before traveling to Heathrow Airport on the early hours of September 15 to see him off. Confidante Sharon Lawrence noted his jittery state, quoting him saying, 'I can't sleep. I can't focus to write any songs.' Despite this, he engaged in social outings on September 17 with Dannemann, visiting Kensington Market and Chelsea antiques markets, where he bought a leather jacket and composed final lyrics on writing paper. He also ran into ex-girlfriend Kathy Etchingham, inviting her to his hotel that evening, though she declined due to prior engagements. That night, after an argument at friend Phillip Harvey's apartment where Dannemann reportedly shouted 'you fucking pig,' Hendrix left with Dannemann around 10:40 p.m., marking the end of his final hours.

Did You Know?

• Hendrix spent much of his last day with Monika Dannemann, who found him unresponsive at the Samarkand Hotel on September 18.
• He died of asphyxia after aspirating his own vomit while intoxicated with barbiturates, according to the post-mortem examination.
• His final public performance was a jam session with Eric Burdon and War on 'Tobacco Road' and 'Mother Earth' at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club.
• On September 11, Hendrix refused the title of 'King Guitar,' calling it 'a bit heavy' during his last interview.
• The coroner recorded an open verdict because there was no evidence of suicide and insufficient evidence regarding the circumstances.