What Jimi Hendrix was like at the end of his life: memories of colleagues and friends

The history of music is full of tragedies: thus, The infamous "Club 27" - a very real cultural phenomenon in which many musicians - along with actors, artists, and other public figures - died at the age of 27. Unfortunately, on September 18, 1970. Jimi Hendrix became one of the club's early geniuses. Hendrix's death is still controversial. It has long been rumored that the tragedy was not as accidental as official sources claim. It seems his untimely passing will remain one of music's greatest mysteries...

In the weeks leading up to his untimely death, it would be an understatement to say that he was dealing with with many problems. There were arguments between the guitarist and his manager, a looming paternity case, and health problems caused by exhaustion. It was no secret that Hendrix revolved around musicians who were idols of their time, and when they realized they were seeing him for the last time, these last observations took on weight of grief. So: how was Jimi Hendrix last seen by other musicians? Here are some recollections...

Roger Daltrey

In one of the interviews, the vocalist of The Who, Roger DaltreyHe told me that a few days before Jimi's death they had been hanging out at his house in the Berkshires.

"Jimi brought his girlfriend named Devon Wilson. We were drinking and having fun. Jimi said he was going to settle down in New York after his time in Europe came to an end. But then the fun got weird..."

Daltrey continues:

"He and Wilson were singing, but their voices were getting heavier and heavier, unintelligible... Then it became clear to me that they were under something heavy. Eventually they both passed out, and Heather and her friend and I put them to bed. And in the morning he got up and everything was fine! I mean - he acted like nothing had happened yesterday! I was amazed!"

Billy Cox

Some friendships make even the most cynical person believe in fate, as in the case of Jimi Hendrix and Billy Coxom. After their fateful meeting, which occurred while they were both in the army, they toured the Chitlin circuit of the United States before parting ways. But they reunited again in 1969, forming Band of Gypsys and spent a vivid but very short time in the recording studio before Hendrix passed away...

Talking to a journalist about those last months with Hendrix, including a legendary performance at Woodstocktheir collaboration with Miles Davis, and the last time they had a heart-to-heart talk, Billy said:

"Jimi was looking forward to recording, making ends meet, and looking out for his longtime friend. No matter what, he was optimistic..."

Ronnie Wood

For decades. Ronnie Wood was at the epicenter of the music industry! Today he is a legend of The Rolling Stones! But once upon a time, when he was just gaining experience and breaking into the industry, he was Jimi Hendrix's roommate - and he had nothing but good things to say about the latter!

"Jimi was a really nice, well-behaved boy, and I'm very proud to have spent some time with him in the late 1960s."

The last time Wood saw Hendrix was at an English jazz club Ronnie Scott's. From Wood's Memoirs:

"He was coming down the stairs, hugging his girlfriend, and I said to him, 'Jimi, say good night,' and he didn't turn around. I said again: "Jimi, say good night!" and he turned around very slowly, and only waved slightly at me. He was under something, and he was very sad..."

Pete Townsend

In 1970, the Isle of Wight was visited by about 600,000 peopleand they all came to see some of the biggest names of that era perform at the same event. Like Woodstock, that festival was the biggest open-air event, and the artists who performed on its stage were the most famous at the time: Jimi Hendrix was joined by such performers as Joni Mitchell, Jethro Tull and The Who.

Before the show, Jimi was a little out of control: he was having trouble with the long sleeves of the shirt he was wearing, and he sawed off a bottle of vodka beforehand with a few friends. But in the end he pulled himself together and gave the world one of the brightest performances of his career! From memory Pete Townsend:

"It was obvious that psychologically, Jimi felt terrible... But people didn't care. They thought, 'He can play the guitar so great, so he's obviously fine!' What made me work so hard was seeing the condition Jimi was in. He was in such a tragically bad physical condition, and I remember thanking God when I went on stage that I was healthy..."

Chas Chandler

In music circles Chas Chandler Widely acclaimed as a talent hunter! He's also known as the former bass player The Animals And the man who helped Jimi put together The Jimi Hendrix Experiencewho became the manager and producer of the band's first records. Although he officially broke up with Hendrix, he was still in the same circles - and had seen Hendrix about three weeks before his death. Here's what Ches told reporters:

"Jimi performed in Stockholm at the end of August. And it was a disastrous concert, it was really awful to look at. He was absolutely shattered..."

What was it that tormented Hendrix so much at the end of his days - today it's hard to understand. He did not share his inner feelings with anyone, preferring to numb the pain with alcohol and illegal substances. He was a great guitarist and a brilliant virtuoso. But he was also a deeply unhappy star who burned out as quickly as he lit up.