Known for her raw, electric voice, Joplin lived a life of excess that frequently put her at odds with the law and societal norms of the 1960s.
1963: Before becoming a global icon, a 20-year-old Joplin was arrested in San Francisco for shoplifting. This occurred during her early years of drifting and struggling to make ends meet in the city’s counterculture scene.
1969: In her most famous run-in with the law, she was arrested onstage in Tampa, Florida. After police tried to control the dancing crowd, Joplin screamed obscenities at the officers through the microphone. She was charged with “vulgar and indecent language,” though the charges were eventually dropped after a legal battle.
Substance Abuse: Her career was constantly shadowed by heavy alcohol use (famously Southern Comfort) and heroin addiction. She was found dead of an accidental heroin overdose in a Hollywood hotel room in 1970, joining the infamous “27 Club.”