‘We were called to the Casualty. We were confronted by someone who had been brought in by ambulance. He was not breathing. We pumped his chest to try to do cardiac massage resuscitation but there was no response at all. We tried to turn him over but he was very stiff. And I think the rigor mortis had already settled in. I couldn’t believe the amount of fluid that was in his lungs and in his pharynx. Couldn’t believe it.’ Hendrix & the Spook, Dr John Banister, St Mary Abbot’s Hospital 1970, BBC 2020
At 12:45 p.m. on September 18th 1970 Jimi Hendrix was pronounced dead. The guitar legend was only 27. The post mortem shows he died by choking on his own vomit while under the effect of sleeping pills. But a troubling question remains: with so much win in his body, why was there hardly in his blood. The Inquest declares his death suspicious, but who would want to harm Jimi Hendrix? ibid.
He is drained and depressed, and suffering from a chronic lack of sleep. He is using barbiturates to rest and amphetamines to remover. Jimi needs to rest and recover but he doesn’t like being alone. So he takes comfort in the company of fans. ibid.
17 September 1970: ‘I thought he looked awful. His hair seemed to be a mess and broken off. Tired and not himself.’ ibid. Kathy Etchingham, Jimi’s ex-girlfriend
As he would later do with Jimi Hendrix, [Michael] Jeffery exposed The Animals for all they were worth … Jeffery was ripping them off … Jeffery and Chandler … take him [Hendrix] to London to launch his career … Jeffery signs Jimi to an exclusive four-year management deal that gives him 40% of Jimi’s gross performance earnings. ibid.
The quantity of sleeping pills suggests a worrying possibility: did Jimi take his own life? ibid.
In 1968 Jimi spends a quarter of a million dollars on recording studios … but the project goes way over budget. ibid.
‘There comes a point when it’s too much, you know. And it’s non-stop. There’s no let up.’ ibid. Trixi Sullivan de Linick, PA to Mike Jefferey
The Jimi Hendrix Experience breaks up. ibid.
Unlike other artists of his generation, Jimi didn’t write protest songs. ibid.
The studios are in Mob-controlled territory, so he [Jeffery] goes to them for a loan. ibid.
He [Jimi] was kidnapped by the Mob … With Jimi refusing to go on the road, relations between him and Jeffery are at rock bottom. ibid.
Their contract expires in three months’ time on December 1st 1970. In debt to the Mob, the IRS and the record company, Jeffery really can’t afford for Jimi to leave him. ibid.
Monika’s fantasies about her relationship with Jimi are of much less concern than her many discrepancies in her various accounts of his last hours. In the years following Jimi’s death, these differences begin to trouble Kathy Etchingham. ibid.
‘Did Jimi have a proper Inquest? It just didn’t add up. The whole story was bizarre … It’s what I’d do for any friend.’ ibid. Kathy
Monika’s apartment was never forensically analysed. The only clue that remains is the condition Jimi was found in. ibid.
This shows that Jimi died very soon after the wine entered his body. It had no time to be absorbed into his blood stream. Who would do that to Jimi, and why? Rumours that have been persistent since his death point to one suspect: his manager, Mike Jeffery. ibid. Tappy
‘Mike was quite clever: his got Jimi to sign an insurance policy for him also. Jimi Hendrix was worth two million to Jeffery dead … It was kill or be killed.’ ibid. Tappy
‘If Jimi died, Mike Jeffery gets the lot … in the ballpark of around $30,000,000.’ ibid. investigator
Much of Jimi’s last day was spent at the receiving end of Monika’s jealousy. ibid.
‘These tablets were exceptionally strong … And each one was a double dose … He must have drunk red wine at the party.’ ibid. Kathy
Jimi may have died around 5 a.m. when Monika was trying to track down his doctor. ibid.
‘She panicked. Young girl, world’s most famous musician, dead.’ ibid. Kathy
At 11.18 a.m. they finally call the ambulance. Then they leave the apartment. Although he died long before that, at 12.45 Jimi is officially pronounced dead. ibid.
‘She [Monika] was an obsessed fan. A stalker.’ ibid. Kathy
When no-one question’s Monika’s wildly different statements about the circumstances of Jimi’s death, she boldly begins to rewrite history. ibid.
‘I knew she was a complete fraud.’ ibid. Kathy
Kathy’s request to reopen the Inquest into his death is denied. It is not thought to be in the public interest. ibid.
Monika takes her own life. Her body is found in her fuel-filled car in her garage. ibid.
‘Remarkable. She chooses to take her life rather than give evidence or speak about what happened that night in a court under oath.’ ibid. Kathy
Thomas Edward Lawrence: The brilliant British army officer depicted in these exhilarating moments from the movie classic Lawrence of Arabia. He is seen as a military visionary who led an Arab uprising and changed the world for ever. But Lawrence is one of the most enigmatic figures of the 20th century. Was he a man simply running from his past? A man tormented by doubts about his identity. How much was Lawrence driven by escapist fantasy? His journey took him into the heart of the Middle East, transformed by monumental forces. A lifetime of guilt was Lawrence’s reward. This is the story of the real Lawrence of Arabia. Lawrence of Arabia: Britain’s Great Adventurer, Channel 5 2020
Lawrence of Arabia is the most famous man in England. He counts kings among his friends. His name sells newspapers in their thousands. But the most famous man in England may well be the unhappiest. T E Lawrence is running for his life … [from] the fame that is killing him. ibid.
‘Lawrence did seem to have a high threshold of pain.’ ibid.
Having survived his Syrian experience, he returns to Oxford where in 1910 his research brings his a first class degree and a chance to return to the desert he loves. ibid.
Lawrence reports back that the revolt needs guns, money and support. It also requires an Arab leader worth the British investing in. ibid.
Lawrence is harbouring a secret: knowledge of a confidential British/French understanding that breaks their promise of a kingdom for the Arabs. ibid.
Deep down he feels he is to blame … Camelot with camels has crumbled before his eyes: he is full of regret and remorse. ibid.