Grave of Jimi Hendrix

Renton, Washington

The music of rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix moved a generation, and pilgrims have trekked to the Seattle area to pay their respects for decades. Hendrix, the most famous resident of Greenwood Memorial Park and Cemetery in Renton, WA, had been resting under a simple tombstone since he OD'd on heroin in 1970. The rock star's remains were secretly moved to a new grave on November 26, 2002, the day before what would have been his 60th birthday.

The more elaborate half-million dollar monument was originally designed to feature a life-size bronze sculpture of Hendrix and a purple fountain, but those embellishments were nixed at some point. A stone block is sheltered by a 30-foot-high granite dome supported by three pearl-gray granite columns trimmed in "rainbow" marble. The memorial, where other family member are or will be interred, is on a circular drive in the southwest corner of the cemetery.

Family of Hendrix fans get the Memorial vibe.

We pulled up to the monument after a brief rain squall, and an eerie sunbeam suddenly illuminated the deserted cemetery. After a few minutes, a teenager with shaggy hair and a guitar emerged from the distant woods and walked directly to the monument. He sat down and started playing a tune, and soon other of his family members showed up. The muse magnetism still works, even without a purple fountain.

This new memorial is a primary attraction in any Jimi Tour that should also include the bronze statue on Capitol Hill near downtown Seattle; the Experience Music gallery of Jimi's guitars, song notes, and other artifacts; and the Hendrix Memorial "Hot Rock" at Woodland Park Zoo.