Obituaries [Updated]

Drummer Mitch Mitchell, the last surviving member of the legendary Jimi Hendrix Experience, was found dead in his hotel room early today. He was 61 years old.

It appears he died of natural causes in his Portland, Oregon, hotel room. What a shame:

Sgt. Brian Schmautz, a Portland police spokesman, said an employee at the upscale hotel called police after discovering Mitchell's body. "It was natural causes," Schmautz said, "so we weren't involved beyond that."

Calls to the Benson for further information have not been returned.

An examination to determine an exact cause of death is scheduled for later this afternoon, officials said.

Mitchell was touring with the Experience Hendrix Tour, which appeared on Nov. 7 at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, the last stop on a West Coast portion of the tour.

Mitchell pioneered a lead style of drumming which would later become known as fusion, allowing him and Hendrix to feed off each other in concert. The pair also recorded several tracks on their own before bringing in bassist Noel Redding to finish the songs. Redding died at the age of 57 in 2003. Hendrix died after a drug overdose in 1970.

From what I have read, Mitchell had been sick for a few days and couldn't perform in Portland Friday; ironically, his last performance was in Seattle, near where former bandmate Jimi Hendrix is buried (he is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Renton).

Buddy Miles, who played drums for Hendrix's Band of Gypsies, died in February of heart failure at age 60.

Here is a Mitchell drum solo from 1969:


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I am probably the last person to note the death of famed South African singer Miriam Makeba, 76, who died Sunday after performing in a concert.
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Bestselling author, columnist, and one-time husband of actress Elke Sommer, Joe Hyams, has died of coronary heart disease at the age of 85, according to his wife Melissa.
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