Over two decades before the death of Kurt Cobain, guitar legend Jimi Hendrix joined the 27 Club (the name given to rock legends who died at that age) when he was killed by a drug overdose in 1970, as stated by Rolling Stone.
He sired no children and died without writing a will, leaving his father Al Hendrix to take over the management of his estate. Al’s death in 2002 meant that control of Jimi Hendrix’s finances and the use of his name passed to his adopted daughter, Janie Jinka. According to Rolling Stone, Jimi’s younger brother Leon tried to contest the arrangement in 2004, demanding a portion of the estate. In 2007 a court ruling declared that Al’s will would be upheld, and the estate and the right to sell merchandise bearing the Hendrix brand would remain with the company Experience Hendrix LLC.
However, this didn’t stop Leon from selling Hendrix merchandise under the Hendrix Licensing company. This resulted in a lawsuit launched in 2009 by Jinka, with an injunction being imposed in 2015 that prevented Leon’s company from using registered trademarks bearing Jimi Hendrix’s image and moniker. Leon was due to pay damages for copyright infringement, but he and his adopted sister opted for an out-of-court settlement. The amount remains undisclosed to the public.
In 2021 the Guardian reported that Leon and his daughter, Tina, had flouted the 2015 injunction by setting up the non-profit music school, the Hendrix Music Academy. They were ordered to pay the opposing side’s legal fees, rename the school, and remove any merchandise depicting the guitar legend.
