44 Years Ago: Jimi Hendrix Found Dead

Today marks the 44th anniversary of the death of one of the greatest guitarists of all time.

Jimi Hendrix was found dead the morning of September 18, 1970. Although the details of his final hours and death are disputed to this day, Jimi spent what would be his last day with Monika Dannemann. Jimi had been in poor health the previous days. He was overworking, severely lacking sleep and sick with an assumed influenza-related illness.

Jimi was found unresponsive by Dannemann in her apartment at the Samarkand Hotel,  Notting Hill. She called for an ambulance at 11:18AM and taken to St. Mary Abbot's Hospital where an attempt was made to resuscitate him. He was pronounced dead at 12:45PM.

An autopsy would find Jimi aspirated his own vomit and died of asphyxia. Dannemann said that Jimi had taken nine of her prescribed Vesparax sleeping tablets. That's 18x the recommended dosage! Finding no evidence of suicide and lacking sufficient evidence of the circumstances, Jimi's death was recorded as an open verdict.

Jimi Hendrix was interred at Greenwood Cemetery in Renton, Washington on October 1, 1970. He was 27 years old.