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Jimi Hendrix
Updated
January 2008 in RED
"When I die, I
want people to play my music, go wild, and freak out an' do anything they wanna do."
This musical genius
died at 27 years old, leaving behind only 4 completed albums.
Although he was
staying in a London hotel at the time, on September 18th, 1970 Jimi was
sleeping in his girlfriend Monika Danneman's flat, in Lansdowne Crescent, Notting Hill, London. Hers was number 22. She
left for cigarettes around 10:20, came back and saw him covered in vomit. She could not wake him. Monika called Jimi's good friend Eric Burdon and
explains that she could not wake Jimi up, and he's covered in puke. Eric shouted into the phone, "CALL THE
FUCKING AMBULANCE!" Monika wasn't sure
she should, because Jimi might get mad about the scandal.
Burdon repeated his order. The
ambulance attendants arrived about 20 minutes later, wrapped him up, and carried Jimi up from the garden
apartment.
The following is and
excerpt from David Henderson's " 'Scuse Me While I Kiss The Sky":
"Instead of
laying him down in the ambulance, they sat him in a chair and strapped him upright. He tried to bend over so he could vomit, but one
of the attendants quickly pushed his head back and strapped him in tighter. Jimi's head lolled back as the ambulance driver
took off. The speeding ambulance pressed his
body back in the chair and made it even more difficult for him to get his head down. He felt bile and vomit near his Adam's apple. Jimi was unable to speak. Even if he could, the ball of vomit in his throat
prevented him. The vomit massed in his vocal
chords. His lungs became congested. His heart began to pump harder, and the right
ventricle dilated. Fluid began to seep into
his lungs. He was rushed from the ambulance into St. Mary Abbots Hospital. The doctors work on him for over an hour, to no
avail."
He was pronounced
dead at 11:25 am. His last meal was a tuna
sandwich.
Jimi was buried on
October 1st, in Greenwood Memorial Cemetery, outside Seattle, Washington.
Hendrix was the first
rock star to be awarded an English Heritage plaque. It was erected on September 15th, 1997,
at 14 Brook Street, Mayfair. This is the flat
he lived in with a different girlfriend, Kathy Etchingham.
Unveiled by Pete Townshend (huh? I said Pete Townshend), Dave Gilmour of Pink Floyd, and Ray Davies of the
Kinks, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page.
Now here comes the
bizarre part. The two ex loves of Mr.
Hendrix, Kathy Etchingham and Monika Danneman, had a "war of the words" going
on. Kathy accused Monika of not calling the
ambulance for hours. Monika called Kathy a
liar and a cheat, and that Kathy told Jimi she would leave her husband, if he would take
her back. Kathy sued for libel, and won. The deal was £1000 fine, and an agreement never
to repeat the allegation. Well, Monika DID
repeat it in her book. In 1996, Kathy sued
and won again. Monika walked away from this one with a
£30,000 fine. Get this, two days later she
sucks the exhaust pipe of her Mercedes, and gasses herself to death.
In 1995, Jimi's case was reopened, and Monika was cleared of any blame.
Thank
you to Findadeath.com friend RM for the following information: up in the Capitol Hill District of Seattle is a really nice statue of
Jimi sitting in the middle of the sidewalk on Broadway.
They are getting ready to build some kind of monument at the Greenwood Cemetery (a flat, non-inspiring, no headstones allowed, cemetery) where
Jimi is buried. I've been there and seen the usual smashed beer can, peace symbols, and my favorite, an M16's empty bullet casing lying
around his nameplate.
Also,
thanks again to Findadeath.com friend Bob Siler for this info:
"Did you know that Jimi's father, Al, has a museum in his home in Seattle that pays tribute
to his son and that if you call him and let him know that you'll be in the area, he'll give you
a tour for free? His number is listed in the Seattle phone book."
Great stuff Bob. Thanks!
January 2008 Findadeath friend Gregg Thomas sends us this: Did you know his boyhood home is right across the street from the cemetery? Apparently nobody knows what to do with it. It was moved there. I am sure it would have been torn down years ago if it weren't for its heritage, but it is not much to look at. Sure is, Gregg, and thanks!
Trivia: His mother was a full-blooded Cherokee Indian.
More:
March 2002 : From findadeath.com friend Lis: Random related facts on the man:
He went to (and dropped out of -- as a sophomore, i believe) Garfield high school. It's in central district, which is a somewhat slummy neighborhood.
He also spent his young life moving around central district.
Well, I go to Garfield and there's two spots of interest in the school -- there's a bronze bust him in the library, which is sad because the only
famous person from the school actually dropped out of. the more interesting (and more debated) is on locker on the third floor, which is painted a
different color and is rumored that was his when he attended, and then someone painted it to memorialize it.
Thanks for the info. Send a pic of the locker!!