Jimi Hendrix Energy Drink: Has Advertising Gone Too Far?

In a recent (January 24, 2007) Los Angeles Times article, a company by the name of Beverage Concepts located in Calabasas, CA has been granted permission by the estate of the late Jimi Hendrix to create a line of non-alcoholic drinks called the Liquid Experience.

Hendrix died at the age of 27 from asphyxia that was brought on by vomit blocking his esophagus that could not be cleared to induce normal breathing because he was in a deep sleep at the time. In his short life, he was believed to be under the influence of drugs while performing as well conducting business and was even busted in Canada for heroin possession (charges were later dropped in a Toronto court) in 1969. Yet on the day of his death, September 18, 1970 - only sleeping pills and red wine were found in his system by a London coroner. If Jimi were around today, he would be sixty-two years old with not only fans of his generation but the many that followed afterward. One of those is the often shirtless, gap-toothed bassist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers Michael Balzary, a.k.a. Flea. He was quoted as saying "To see his image and the beautiful feelings it has created during my lifetime cheapened by bare advertising is very disappointing to me."