THE ETCHINGHAM/MITCHELL FILES

by Michael Fairchild

Page 2 of 2

We went to a basement flat at Landsdowne Crescent. The ambulance men were there, but Jimi was dead. It wasn't very pleasant. They had to take some of the bedding and wrapped it around his body as there was a lot of mess. There was really nothing they could do for him. I watched them put him in the ambulance and go off.

Q: Was there anyone with them (the ambulance men)?

A: No, I remember quite clearly the doors of the ambulance shutting on the crew and Jimi.

Q: Were you aware of the fact that he was Jimi Hendrix?

A: No, I hadn't a clue who he was. We really answered a lot of calls like that in those days.

Q: Was there anyone in the flat besides Jimi and the ambulance men?

A: No we just shut the door after they left to close up the flat.

Q: Could you just read this account (shown "Electric Gypsy")?

A: (laughs) Well, that's not how I remember things. If she'd been in the flat they would have never called us to come in. They could have just taken him off, but in the circumstances, you know - just the body. Well they I radioed their control to get us in. Also he would have been identified - nobody knew who he was.

Dr. Martin Seifert was one of the casualty doctors who attended to Jimi Hendrix on the 18th of September 1970, at St. Mary Abbotts Hospital, where he was the Medical Registrar. He was one of a team of three doctors. Today he is an eminent Rheumatologist (a doctor who deals with painful conditions of the joints and muscles).

Jimi was rushed into the re-sus room. He was put on a monitor, but it was flat. I pounded his heart a couple of times, but there was no point in doing anything else, as he was dead.

I vaguely remember the clothes being flamboyant, but not too well because that isn't what you concentrate on, and there was a good bit of mess.

I never spoke to, or saw, anyone about Jimi - No woman in admissions. No nurse went out to say we'd revived him because we didn't - That just never happened. We didn't work on him anything like an hour, just a few minutes - He was dead. After we worked on Jimi - we didn't know he was Jimi Hendrix until later on - I remember just a vague memory of a bit of fuss going on in admissions, but it could have been anything, it was a casualty ward.

After being shown the account in "Electric Gypsy", Dr. Seifert had this to say.

I can't explain that all - It never happened. Who is this girl? No one would have been allowed to look at him or stand over him. That would never have been done. I would have done anything to save him, but it was too late, he was dead.

Mr. Pergolani was working as a waiter at the Samarkand Hotel on September 18th 1970.

Jimi was staying in the hotel with Monika, his German girlfriend. I was working here. That day, someone yelled out that Hendrix was dead. The police came. The doctor said he took pills, but the reason for his death was suffocation from his own vomit, because he couldn't move, he was laying on his back. Since then, almost every week, people come here to see where Jimi died.

[NOTE: I would think that by "doctor" he means the ambulance attendants. It's curious that he says. "Someone yelled out that Hendrix was dead." That confirms the attendant's claim, that they knew Jimi was already dead at the scene. It's also interesting to note that he says, "Since then, almost every week, people come here to see where Jimi died."]

On September 24, 1970, Monika Charlotte Danneman made the following sworn statement:

I have known Jimi Hendrix for the past two years. I met him in Germany and we became friendly and when I came to England this year I got in contact with him and we resumed our relationship. Since Tuesday 15th September, he was living with me at my flat in Landsdowne Crescent. We went out on Wednesday and Thursday to Ronnie Scotts Jazz Club and had a meal and a bottle of wine each evening, and spent the evenings listening to music. On Thursday 17th September we stayed in and I cooked a meal of spaghetti and we talked until about 2am. He then said he had to go somewhere and see some people about his band and I drove him to a house in Great Cumberland place. I asked him if I could go with him, but he said that they were not very nice people. Later about 2:45am, I picked him up there and went home. On our arrival I made a sandwich and we talked until about 7am. He then said he wanted to go to sleep. He took some tablets and we went to bed. I woke up about 11am and saw that Jimi's face was covered in vomit. I tried to wake him, but could not. I called an ambulance and he was taken to the Hospital in Kensington. He never recovered consciousness and later died at 12:45pm. Prior to going with him to the hospital, I checked my supply of Vesperax sleeping tablets and found that 9 of them were missing. He was very happy and I never heard him talk of killing himself.

[NOTE: The other interviews and statements were conducted during July and August 1991. The people were shown the 1st printing of "Electric Gypsy" (1990).]