Janis Joplin Requested Mourners Throw An All-Night Funeral Party
Wikimedia CommonsJanis Joplin is among the artists included in the “27 Club” due to her premature death.
Janis Joplin was known for her wild, partying lifestyle, and even in the throes of her battle with addiction, she wanted everyone to have a good time.
Apparently, her commitment to partying continued even after her untimely death in 1970. According to Far Out, just two days before her death, Joplin added a fund into her will and testament — a $2,500 party fund so that her friends could throw an all-night party at her wake.
Joplin reportedly wanted her friends to “get blasted” at her favorite bar after she died. The invitations to the wake read “Drinks are on Pearl” — Joplin’s nickname.
On Oct. 26, 1970, around 300 people showed up at the Lion’s Share in San Anselmo, California for the wake, where many of them enjoyed hash brownies and doses brought by the Grateful Dead. So it seems as though Joplin’s last wish for an all-night rager was fulfilled.
But the story also offers deep insight into Joplin’s mindset at the time. At just 27 years old, she had the foresight to make adjustments to her will, likely knowing that she was losing her battle with addiction and wasn’t long for the world. It’s a tragic story, but in the end, Janis Joplin simply wanted everyone else to have a good time.
