blame him for the breakup of the band, claiming that he worked the group into the ground and appropriated most of their earnings. In 1968, Kevin Deverich took over as manager for Eric Burdon and the new Animals, when they became unhappy over money that was promised to them by Jeffery. Jimi Hendrix When Chas Chandler decided to move into management himself and signed Jimi Hendrix, he needed financial support to launch The Jimi Hendrix Experience and so went into partnership with his old manager, with very mixed feelings. Jeffery thus became co-manager of the trio, taking care of business while Chandler produced. Jeffery has received almost unanimous criticism from Hendrix biographers. Jeffery siphoned off much of Hendrix's income and channelled it into off-shore bank accounts. When Experience bassist Noel Redding inquired as to where Jeffery was going with briefcases of the band's money, he was asked to leave the band. In October 2006 a $15 million auction took place of items of Jeffery's estate including the rights to many of Jimi Hendrix's hits including "Purple Haze" and "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)". Experience Hendrix, a company formed and owned by Hendrix's family, have said they will prove they own the titles to these songs and that they intend to sue. Hendrix death allegation Hendrix was pronounced dead on 18 September 1970 at St. Mary Abbotts Hospital, Kensington, London. In May 2009, the UK media reported claims by James "Tappy" Wright that Jeffery had murdered him. Wright, who was a roadie for The Animals in the 1960s, had just written a book, in which he claimed he was with Jeffery in 1971, one year after Hendrix's death, and Jeffery confessed to having murdered Hendrix by plying him with pills and a bottle of wine in order to kill him and claim on the guitarist's life insurance. At the time of Hendrix's death, the coroner recorded an "open verdict," stating that the cause was "barbiturate intoxication and inhalation of vomit". The pathologist who did the autopsy on Hendrix, Donald Teare, reported a low blood alcohol level. "Jimi Hendrix was not murdered," says Bob Levine, who was the US manager of the late guitarist at the time of his death in 1970. "Despite the allegations that have recently been made, I need to set the record straight once and for all. Jimi died an accidental death, but he definitely wasn't murdered – not