As the group War asked in their hit song, “Why Can’t We Be Friends,” why can’t we all just get along? This is the mantra of the day as news emerges from the west coast that the brothers and sisters of the Jimi Hendrix estate are fighting again. The family company that own the name and legal rights to the Jimi Hendrix name has filed suit against Jimi’s brother Leon and a man named Andrew Pitsicalis, over the latter’s use of trademarks and intellectual property.
In 1995, the estate and company ended up in Jimi’s father’s control until his death in 2002. As his death would unearth a sundry of suits and struggles to control estate, legal issues continue to haunt Jimi. The estate is estimated to be valued at just north of $175 million dollars, so we’ll probably be reading about family legal matters for years to come.
As a comparison, rock legend and fellow Seattle resident and rock icon, Kurt Cobain died with a net worth of $450 million. Both Jimi and Kurt were 27 the time of their deaths.
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Photo credit: Legacy Recordings