Monika Charlotte Dannemann (24 June 19455 April 1996) was a German

figure skater Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, with its introduction occurring at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic d ...

and painter. She was the last girlfriend of guitarist

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

, and later (reportedly) the wife of German guitarist

Uli Jon Roth Uli Jon Roth (born Ulrich Roth; 18 December 1954) is a German guitarist who became famous for his work with the hard rock band Scorpions and is one of the earliest contributors to the neoclassical metal genre. He is also founder of the Sky Ac ...

of the

Scorpions Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the Order (biology), order Scorpiones. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by a pair of Chela (organ), grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward cur ...

Figure skating

In 1965, Dannemann participated in the German Figure Skating Championships representing the club Düsseldorfer EG.

Involvement with Jimi Hendrix

Dannemann was first introduced to Jimi Hendrix on 12 January 1969, in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

, after being invited to a Jimi Hendrix concert there. She spent that night with him and part of the next day too, when she accompanied him to his next concert in

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

; after that, she returned to Düsseldorf. He spent the last night of the tour with model Uschi Obermaier, with whom he was filmed kissing and petting outside the Kempinski Hotel the next morning. He wrote to Dannemann on 25 March 1969, inviting her to visit him in New York City. Dannemann claims she next saw Hendrix when she travelled to London on 25 April 1969 in the hope of meeting him again, where she bumped into him at the

Speakeasy Club The Speakeasy Club, also known as The Speak, was a club situated at 48 Margaret Street, London, England, and was a popular late-night meeting place for the music industry from 1966 to June 1978. The club took its name and theme from the speakeas ...

. She says they spent some time together over the next nine days, but she only spent one night with him. After his September 1970 European tour, Hendrix began a relationship with the Danish model Kirsten Nefer. (It was reported in the Danish press at the time that they were engaged.) After Nefer left London due to work, he again took up with Dannemann on 15 September and spent the next four nights at her flat at the Samarkand Hotel, Notting Hill Gate, where he died. On the evening of 17 September Hendrix took at least one

amphetamine Amphetamine (contracted from Alpha and beta carbon, alpha-methylphenethylamine, methylphenethylamine) is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), narcolepsy, an ...

pill (known as a "black bomber") at a party, where he stayed for a short while. Later, at Dannemann's flat, Hendrix took nine of her Vesparax sleeping tablets; Hendrix was officially declared to have died at St. Mary Abotts hospital at 12:45 PM. The cause of death was

asphyxiation Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects all the tissues and organs, some more rapidly than others. There are ...

through aspiration of vomit due to a

barbiturate overdose Barbiturate overdose is poisoning due to excessive doses of barbiturates. Symptoms typically include difficulty thinking, poor coordination, decreased level of consciousness, and a decreased effort to breathe ( respiratory depression). Complic ...

Later years

After Hendrix's death, Dannemann became romantically involved with German rock guitarist

of rock band Scorpions, with whom she collaborated on several songs (one with Scorpions titled "We'll Burn the Sky" ), album cover designs (of Roth's post Scorpions band

Electric Sun Electric Sun was a rock band formed by German guitarist Uli Jon Roth after his departure, from the rock band Scorpions in 1978. They released three albums between 1978 and 1986. Their first album, ''Earthquake'', was released in 1979 and feat ...

), and artwork. Roth also wrote the foreword to Dannemann's book about her experience living and working with Hendrix, entitled ''The Inner World of Jimi Hendrix'' (1995). Dannemann died of suicide by

carbon monoxide poisoning Carbon monoxide poisoning typically occurs from breathing in carbon monoxide (CO) at excessive levels. Symptoms are often described as " flu-like" and commonly include headache, dizziness, weakness, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. Large ...

at age 50 in

Seaford, East Sussex Seaford is a town in East Sussex, England, east of Newhaven, East Sussex, Newhaven and west of Eastbourne.OS Explorer map Eastbourne and Beachy Head Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. I ...

. She had lost an ongoing court battle with another of Hendrix's girlfriends, Kathy Etchingham, two days earlier.

Book

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dannemann, Monika Sportspeople from Düsseldorf 1945 births 1996 suicides German female single skaters Suicides in England Suicides by carbon monoxide poisoning Emigrants from West Germany to the United Kingdom Jimi Hendrix 1996 deaths 20th-century German sportswomen