Yesterday marked the 37th anniversary of Jimi Hendrix's, the remarkably skilled guitarist, death on September, 18th 1970. This is a day that fans stop to mourn and pay their respects to the rock legend, who died from an overdose of sleeping pills, one night in a hotel. This is also a chance for fans to remember him for his contribution to the world, his music and the legacy that he has left behind. In Toronto, a crowd has gathered around Nathan Phillip to remember the revolutionary guitarist who influenced the lives of many in life, in death and through his music.
On September 18th 1970, he was found dead in the basement of the Smalkland Hotel, early one morning, after spending the night with his girlfriend Monika Dannemann. There is still much controversy on how the guitarist died, which has sparked a lot of conflict over the years.
There are a series of common beliefs that surround Hendrix's death. It is confirmed that he most likely died, in bed, after drinking wine and taking nine Vesperax sleeping pills, then choking on his own vomit. One of the most popular rumors that surround's his death, was that he was still alive when he was being taken into the ambulance and died on the way to the hospital, because the paramedics hadn't followed the proper procedure, not support his head, causing Jimi to choke on his vomit on the way to the hospital.
However the police and ambulance reports show that Hendrix was dead long before they even took him into the ambulance and they believe that he accidentally misread the strength of the pills and choked on his vomit while still unconscious in bed. Another theory proposed, was that he was assassinated by professionals hired by his manager, who forcibly overdosed him on the pills and then choked him with a scarf. To this day, his death still remains a mystery.
Nevertheless, Hendrix will be remembered for his music which remains one of the biggest parts of his legacy, leaving behind an unforgettable legacy that has changed music forever. Voodoo Child, Machine Gun, Purple Haze and All along the watch Tower remain trademark Hendrix songs that originally gave him his rise to fame in the 60's and are still played today on the radio's and mp3 players around the world. He is perhaps remembered as the incredible guitarist who revolutionized rock with his extra long thumb, that made it possible to create his guitar solos composed primarily of feedback and fuzz-laden with no extra devices, such as an effects pedal, that influenced and played a large role in the birth Hard rock and later, Heavy Metal.
So yesterday September 18th 2007, fans gathered at Nathan Philip square, to commemorate the African American, rock legend. Tribute bands played his songs live, sold souvenirs such as T-shirts and CDs were sold and longtime, loyal fan, David Miller made a speech about his favorite musician growing up, Jimi Hendrix. The celebration ended late last night at approximately 12:30am with one of Hendrix's trademarks, burning an electric guitar, specifically his preference, the Fender Stratocaster. Mayor David Miller had the honour of lighting the guitar on fire stating - “I can't believe I've had this honour and this is "The David Miller Experience" I will never forget.”
