Jimi Hendrix eerily predicted he wouldn't live to be 28

Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix / Walter Iooss Jr/GettyImages
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Jimi Hendrix became a member of one of the most interesting cultural phenomenons, the 27 Club, upon his death in 1970. The perennial pop culture legend, which is an informal list of celebrities who've died at the age of 27, includes The Rolling Stones' Brian Jones, Jim Morrison, and Janis Joplin. However, Hendrix was one of the only members to have predicted his death and subsequent inclusion into the club.

Jimi Hendrix wanted to give fans 'something to dream on'

Hendrix had grand plans for the future. He wanted to give fans something they'd never seen before. According to the Guardian, Hendrix wrote that he wanted some of his musical heroes, including Strauss and Wagner, to "form the background" of his music.

"Floating in the sky above it will be the blues – I've still got plenty of blues – and then there will be western sky music and sweet opium music (you'll have to bring your own opium!), and these will be mixed together to form one," Hendrix said. "And with this music we will paint pictures of earth and space, so that the listener can be taken somewhere. You have to give people something to dream on."

Unfortunately, Hendrix didn't get to execute all of his plans. However, he did take the music world by storm.

Jimi Hendrix eerily predicted he wouldn't live to 28

Hendrix spoke a lot about his plans for the future, but he also spoke about his death. The moment he felt he didn't have anything more to give musically, that was when he wouldn't be on this planet.

He wouldn't have anything left to live for. However, Hendrix eerily predicted he wouldn't even live to be 28. "I'm not sure I will live to be 28 years old, but then again, so many beautiful things have happened to me in the last three years," he wrote. "The world owes me nothing."

Hendrix had some philosophical views of death. He said, "When people fear death, it's a complete case of insecurity. Your body is only a physical vehicle to carry you from one place to another without getting into a lot of trouble. So you have this body tossed upon you that you have to carry around and cherish and protect and so forth, but even that body exhausts itself. The idea is to get your own self together, see if you can get ready for the next world, because there is one. Hope you can dig it."

Hendrix also had grand plans for his death

The "Foxy Lady" singer had plans for the future, but he also had plans for his funeral. Hendrix had his own philosophy about death.

He knew people still mourned when people died. He called it self-sympathy. Hendrix said all humans were selfish to a certain degree, and that's why people get sad when someone dies. However, the person who died isn't crying. "Sadness is for when a baby is born into this heavy world," he said.

Hendrix said that when he died, he would have a jam session. He wanted people to "go wild and freak out." He explained, "And knowing me, I'll probably get busted at my own funeral. The music will be played loud and it will be our music. I won't have any Beatles songs, but I'll have a few of Eddie Cochran's things and a whole lot of blues.

"Roland Kirk will be there, and I'll try and get Miles Davis along if he feels like making it. For that it's almost worth dying. Just for the funeral. It's funny the way people love the dead. You have to die before they think you are worth anything. Once you are dead, you are made for life. When I die, just keep on playing the records."

Hendrix didn't make it to 28. He died on September 18, 1970. An inquest into his death later ruled that he aspirated and died of asphyxia while intoxicated with barbiturates. The last person to have seen him alive the night before, Monika Dannemann, said he took nine of her prescribed Vesparax sleeping tablets, which is 18 times the recommended dosage.

Hendrix's friends and family held a service for him on October 1. More than 200 people attended the funeral, including Mitch Mitchell, Noel Redding, Miles Davis, John Hammond, and Johnny Winter. So, at least two of Hendrix's post-mortem wishes were fulfilled. Miles Davis showed up for his funeral, and people continued to play his records long after he died.

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