Jimi Hendrix found dead

On September 18, 1970, 27-year-old rock superstar Jimi Hendrix is found unresponsive by a girlfriend inside London’s Samarkand Hotel in London, England. The guitarist is declared dead on arrival at a local hospital, and a post-mortem finds that he asphyxiated on his own vomit after overdosing on sleeping pills and alcohol.

Described by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as “the most gifted instrumentalist of all time,” the electric guitar legend was known for his flamboyant stage presence and ability to play guitar solos between his legs or behind his back. Born Johnny Allen Hendrix in Seattle, Washington, in 1942, the singer-songwriter had a troubled childhood but displayed a keen interest in music that ignited after his father purchased a $5 second-hand acoustic guitar for him. To avoid prison time for riding in stolen cars, Hendrix opted for a plea deal that involved his enlisting as a U.S. Army paratrooper While stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, he formed The King Kasuals with bassist Billy Cox and gigged around the region.

After being discharged, Hendrix performed as a session guitarist with marquee acts such as Sam Cooke, B.B. King and Little Richard. In 1965, he began fronting his own group, Jimmy James and the Blue Flames. Although unable to read or write music, Hendrix went on to develop a revolutionary sound that featured feedback, volume and controlled distortion.

In 1966, aspiring manager Chas Chandler, former bassist for the British rock group the Animals, signed Hendrix after seeing him perform at a small Greenwich Village club. At his urging, Hendrix moved to London, changed his stage name to “Jimi” and formed the Jimi Hendrix Experience with bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell.

The band’s first single, “Hey Joe,” spent 10 weeks on the British charts, and the North American release of their 1967 debut studio album, Are You Experienced, featured the hits “Foxy Lady,” “Purple Haze,” “The Wind Cries Mary” and “Are You Experienced?” Hendrix became an instant sensation in the United States after playing a guitar solo with his teeth at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival and closing his set by lighting his guitar on fire.

Following the 1969 breakup of the band, Hendrix closed the Woodstock Music Festival with an iconic, protest-inspired rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Hendrix reunited with Mitchell and Cox for the 1970 Cry of Love tour, but deepening substance abuse and a mounting legal docket that included a paternity case and recording contract dispute impacted performances. The tour was cut short in September 1970 after his bassist fell ill. Hendrix died 12 days later. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.