Pepper was one long drug reference, from “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” (LSD) to “A Day in the Life” to “I Get High with a Little Help from My Friends.”Īlthough the Beatles popularized drug use, they were merely reflecting what was already a trend set by Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones and countless other rock groups. Robert,” “Norwegian Wood,” “Strawberry Fields Forever,” and “Day Tripper,” to their acclaimed masterpiece Sgt.

Paul McCartney (still on record as supporting the decriminalization of marijuana) and John Lennon (whose tragic assassination some people believe is linked to Jimi’s mysterious death), wrote dozens of songs either about drugs or inspired by drugs, from “Dr. But the same goes for every other rock group inspired by the Beatles. Jimi was arrested on May 12, 1968, for possession of heroin and hashish he denied that the drugs were his.Īnyone who listens to his music, especially the early Jimi Hendrix Experience records, will hear drug references. However, like Elvis Presley, his death came as a result of drugs that were, and still are, perfectly legal. He drew inspiration from illegal drugs, especially the “mind-expanding” drugs like marijuana and LSD, and his music reflected that. In a remarkable twist, Ridgefield High School principal Elaine Bessette rejected the petition, saying, “I hesitate to accept that Jimi Hendrix’s life and work can or should be condensed into ‘He is a symbol of drug abuse.’”Īlthough I agree with the school principal, the students certainly had a point.

Calling the mural a symbol of the drug use in the school, the students argued that their school was not the proper place to memorialize a person whose life represented drug use. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Hendrix’s untimely demise on September 18, 1970, we’re republishing the story below.Ī hundred high school students in Ridgefield, Connecticut signed a petition to whitewash a mural of Jimi Hendrix painted on the school’s walls. Writer John Holmstrom looked into Jimi Hendrix’s death for the September, 1990 issue of High Times.

Jimi hendrix death scene