Eric Barrett

“... I flashed back to the time I took too much Mandrax, and my girlfriend couldn't wake me up,”

Eric Barrett · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-30

Eric Barrett recalled a personal experience with taking too much medication.

“I didn't want to besmirch his memory. So I lied. I just wanted people to see him in a good light. But I came to realize as I got older that I didn't have to lie. Yes, he took drugs. Did he take heroin? I've never seen heroin anywhere near him. I've worked on many backstages for almost 50 years. I know it's a drug that has killed a lot of musicians. But I don't believe Jimi was taking it. He smoked pot. He took a lot of LSD. He took pills. But I don't believe he was into heroin.”

Eric Barrett · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-30

Eric Barrett discussed why he initially lied about Jimi Hendrix's drug use.

“He asphyxiated. That was the accident. The pills were the accident. Tragedy was him dying.”

Eric Barrett · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-30

Eric Barrett commented on the fatal nature of Jimi Hendrix's accidental overdose.

“I was, what, 24 when he passed?”

Eric Barrett · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-30

Eric Barrett recalled his age when Jimi Hendrix died.

“I was on a plane with him after a show,”

Eric Barrett · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-30

Eric Barrett remembered a conversation on a plane with an insecure Jimi Hendrix.

“I have so many memories of that wonderful man,”

Eric Barrett · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-30

Eric Barrett reflected on his fond memories of Jimi Hendrix.

“I remember walking around London in a fog. It was a stupid, tragic accident. He took too many of [girlfriend] Monika Dannemann's sleeping pills. She supposedly had these incredibly powerful German tranquilizers. And she said he took nine of them. She couldn't wake him. She called Eric Burdon of The Animals, who was a good friend of Jimi's. He screamed at her, 'Call the f-----g ambulance!'”

Eric Barrett · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-30

Eric Barrett recalled his reaction to Jimi Hendrix's death and what he was told about the circumstances.

“The paramedics arrived but couldn't revive Jimi. They carried him out on a stretcher to the ambulance, assuring Monika that he was going to be all right. Either lying in bed on his back or on the way to the hospital, Jimi threw up on himself. The post-mortem concluded that Jimi had died of asphyxia while intoxicated with barbiturates.”

Eric Barrett · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-30

Eric Barrett wrote about the arrival of paramedics and Jimi Hendrix's cause of death in his memoir.

“What I'm being told was the ambulance guys ... laid him on his back, and he threw up,”

Eric Barrett · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-30

Eric Barrett shared what he was told regarding how paramedics handled Jimi Hendrix.

“There was no control. It was a scary place to be. We had two cars there waiting to get us off the island and go back to London. But the Hells Angels didn't want us to get off the island. They wanted the boys to stay and party. And then it got violent.”

Eric Barrett · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-30

Eric Barrett described the dangerous situation when Hells Angels took over the island venue.

“I put my arm up to take the blow. I nearly passed out from the pain, but imagine if it had landed on Gerry's skull? We managed to get inside the car. Jimi kept looking at me because he saw me take the blow. He just said to me, 'Are you OK, Eric? Are you OK?' He kept asking me if I was OK. That's just the kind of man he was. And... that was the last thing he ever said to me.”

Eric Barrett · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-30

Eric Barrett recounted shielding Gerry Stickells from a blow and Jimi Hendrix's reaction afterward.

“He talked to everyone,”

Eric Barrett · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-30

Eric Barrett described Jimi Hendrix's demeanor and social nature off stage.

“I remember we were all staying in Benedict Canyon and it was my birthday. We were all hanging out by the pool, and Jimi came out in no shirt, just velvet pants. He goes, 'Eric, Eric!' I responded, 'Hey Jimi, what do you need?' He smiled and went, 'Happy birthday, man. Here's some money. Go and buy yourself something you really want.' He gave me $500, which was a huge amount back then.”

Eric Barrett · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-30

Eric Barrett recalled Jimi Hendrix gifting him $500 for his birthday in Benedict Canyon.

“It was easily done and could've happened to any of us in Jimi's group of friends. That it happened to Jimi himself was heartbreaking. But I've never heard anything to make me think Jimi's death was anything other than what it appeared.”

Eric Barrett · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-30

Eric Barrett wrote about the accidental nature of Jimi Hendrix's death.

“I went to North Beach Leathers, a place I'd seen Jimi had bought some clothes from. I bought myself this long leather coat, spent all my money on it. It was the best gift I ever bought. When I came back, he loved it. He went, 'Wow, that's a coat! I wish I had seen that before you.'”

Eric Barrett · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-30

Eric Barrett recounted buying a leather coat with birthday money from Jimi Hendrix.

“He was very charming. And he was shy. People were in awe of Jimi. And when he had his guitar around his neck, over his shoulder, he was comfortable. That was his crutch. But I also remember Paul McCartney walking towards him, and he's gasping, 'It's Paul McCartney!' He was just a shy man who didn't know how to take the accolades of his talent.”

Eric Barrett · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-30

Eric Barrett spoke about Jimi Hendrix's shyness and how he reacted to meeting Paul McCartney.

“I don't believe for a second that Mike Jeffery was the cause of Jimi's death,”

Eric Barrett · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-30

Eric Barrett disputed the theory that Mike Jeffery was responsible for Jimi Hendrix's death.

“I just don't believe it. The circumstances don't add up. And I was told by so many people that Tappy only wrote that to try and sell books. But I've never believed it. I will never believe it. I was there, and right now I'm probably the last man standing. All the lads are passing. So no, I wouldn't believe that for a second.”

Eric Barrett · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-30

Eric Barrett reiterated his disbelief in murder theories regarding Jimi Hendrix's death.

“We were playing on the Isle of Fehmarn, and the Hells Angels had taken over,”

Eric Barrett · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-30

Eric Barrett recalled a chaotic festival performance with Jimi Hendrix on the Isle of Fehmarn.

“I couldn't believe it,”

Eric Barrett · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-30

Eric Barrett described learning about Jimi Hendrix's death from Gerry Stickells.

“I saw a Hells Angel about to hit [tour manager] Gerry Stickells over the head with this baton,”

Eric Barrett · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-30

Eric Barrett recalled seeing a Hells Angel attempt to strike Gerry Stickells.