Roger Daltrey reveals exclusive details on Jimi Hendrix’s final days
The Who star Roger Daltrey has revealed details of what happened over the weekend before legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix was found dead aged 27.
In his new TV series, British rock legend Daltrey told comedian Romesh Ranganathan: “No one knows about it except myself and about three other people who are still alive.”
The Misinvestigations Of Romesh Ranganathan on BBC Two will see the comedian investigate the lives and mysterious deaths of some of the world’s cultural figures.
Ranganathan is trying to solve the death of guitarist Hendrix, whose body was found in a Notting Hill flat in September 1970.
Controversy has surrounded the US musician with conspiracy theories of suicide and rumors of foul play in the years since his death, which was attributed to an apparent drug overdose.
Daltrey said: “This is the weekend before he died.
“I was on tour in Germany and Jimi and his friend Devon Wilson came to my cottage in Berkshire.
“Weekend before he died, right?
“At home was my future wife Heather and another girl named Katherine.
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“Jimi spoke about his future and how he wanted to switch to a more jazzy genre of music.
“He was excited about a studio in New York.
“Anyway, Heather told me that it soon became apparent that Jimi was taking more and more barbiturates and his speech was becoming slurred.
Roger Daltrey on stage before Take That’s performance at the Teenage Cancer Trust Concert, Royal Albert Hall, London (Isabel Infantes/PA)
“But he and Devon did this thing that gospel singers do, and they did it with a call and an answer.
“And they did it with Bob Dylan lyrics.
“So after one song after another, he would quote one line, she would quote the other, and that was it, but it gradually got slower, slower, until finally Devon fell asleep.
“So Katherine and Heather put her to bed.
“Then he passed out, and now they’re getting concerned.”
Daltrey explained how the girls put Hendrix in a bed around 2 a.m. and took off his boots.
“So they’ll put the kettle on for a cup of tea and they’ll blow me if he (Hendrix) doesn’t show up in the door 10 minutes later with his boots back on his hat and he’s like, ‘Right, I’m ready for the interview.’
“I mean, you can’t make it up!
“Well, at 11am the next morning they called a minicab and drove back to London.
“That was this weekend and like I said he was as right as rain in the morning like nothing happened,” he added.
The Misinvestigations Of Romesh Ranganathan airs Sunday at 9pm on BBC Two.
https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/roger-daltrey-reveals-exclusive-details-on-jimi-hendrixs-final-days-41490069.html Roger Daltrey reveals exclusive details on Jimi Hendrix’s final days
