Jimi Hendrix may have only been alive for 27 years, but he made a huge impact in the music world. His guitar skills were second to none, and even in the 50 years after his death he is considered the best guitarist that ever lived. His private life was as intriguing as his mysterious character – but who were the women who kept him company?
Jimi Hendrix had a number of girlfriends in his life, and he is even reported as having had some children in the midst of some passing flings.
Jimi is believed to have fathered two children, however, there have been disputes about the veracity of these claims.
One of these is Swedish singer James Sundquist, who sued his father’s estate for a cut of the inheritance in 1994, after being declared legally to be Jimi’s son in 1975 by Swedish courts.
As well as James, a woman called Tamika Hendrix has also been reported as an alleged illegitimate child of the guitarist.
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No paternity test has been taken out about Tamika and her mother’s attempt to see her gain some of the inheritance was denied in 1972.
These alleged pregnancies were with women Jimi met on the road, as he did not marry or was close to marriage at any point in his short life, however, the most important women had a far greater place in Jimi’s life.
The first is his early girlfriend Betty Jean Morgan, whose name was handpainted into one of his early guitars.
While their relationship may not have been a long one, she clearly had an impact in having her name painted on his guitar, and was with him when he went into military service.
In 1964, as the young performer was growing in his career, he began dating a woman known as Faye while living in Harlem, according to Keith Shadwick’s book Jimi Hendrix: Musician.
After her, Jimi became very close to a former girlfriend of Keith Richards’, Linda Keith, who ended up helping him to make his name.
Speaking about their relationship and the first time she saw him, she told The Guardian: “My initial thought, of course, was Keith must see this.
“I was determined that he should be noticed, get a record deal and blow everybody’s mind.
After Linda, Jimi moved on to his most long-term girlfriend, English hairdresser Kathy Etchingham, who had the biggest impact on his life and spoke a great deal about him after his death.
She said of the guitarist: “Jimi was very funny, very entertaining. I used to take him round to my friend, Brenda, who’d just had a baby.
“He didn’t have much money and he bought the baby a little toy pony. That was very sweet.”
Other than that, a number of groupies supposedly became short term girlfriends, with some even becoming the mothers of children.
His last girlfriend was figure skater Monika Danneman, who was with Jimi on the night of his death.
According to Monika, she had prepared a meal for them at her apartment in the Samarkand Hotel, with which they drank wine.
They then drove to a friend’s house, where he remained before she went to collect him in the early hours of September 18, 1970.
After this, they chatted in her apartment before going to sleep. Later, though, she found him unresponsive, but breathing.
He was taken by ambulance to St Mary Abbot’s Hospital in London, but was pronounced death at 12.45pm.
Later, Monika said he had taken nine of her sleeping pills, which would be far greater than the prescribed dosage.
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