Mitch Michell R.I.P.

Mitch Mitchell, drummer for the legendary Jimi Hendrix Experience, was found dead at a Portland hotel early this morning (November 12), according to reports from kgw.com and elsewhere. He is presumed to have died of natural causes, and sources vary as to whether he was 61 or 62.

Mitchell had a hand-- two very able hands, in fact-- in rock and roll history as part of the Experience in the late 1960s. He played in the Pretty Things and Georgie Fame's Blue Flames before joining Hendrix, and even served as part of the Dirty Mac supergroup that John Lennon assembled for the Rolling Stones' 1968 "Rock and Roll Circus" event, playing alongside Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, and Lennon himself. Two years after Hendrix's death in 1970, he formed the trio Ramatam, and went on to do session work for a number of musicians and partake in several Hendrix tributes.

Most recently, Mitchell took part in the traveling "Experience Hendrix" tribute tour, which wrapped up its three-week run last Friday in Portland and also featured Mitchell's latter day Experience bandmate Billy Cox.