Before revolutionizing the electric guitar, Hendrix faced a series of run-ins with the law that inadvertently launched his musical journey.
1961: As a teenager in Seattle, Hendrix was arrested twice for riding in stolen cars. The judge gave him an ultimatum: go to prison or join the Army. He chose the 101st Airborne Division, which kept him out of jail but eventually led him to the music scene.
1968: While touring in Sweden, he was arrested in Stockholm for trashing his hotel room in a fit of rage. He injured his hand during the incident and was ordered to pay a heavy fine and report to the police station daily until he left the country.
1969: In his most serious legal threat, he was arrested at Toronto International Airport after customs agents found heroin and hashish in his luggage. Hendrix faced up to 20 years in prison. He argued that a fan had slipped the drugs into his bag without his knowledge, and the jury eventually acquitted him.
1970: Like many of his peers, his career was cut short when he died of asphyxia related to barbiturate use in London at the age of 27.