A new book written by James "Tappy" Wright, one of Jimi Hendrix's former roadies, claims that the rock legend was murdered by his manager at the time, Michael Jeffery. The book alleges that Jeffery had taken out a large insurance policy on his client and looked to cash in on Hendrix's death.

Yesterday, London's Telegraph reported that only a year after Hendrix's passing, Jeffery admitted to Wright that he "had to do it," telling the roadie, "You understand, don't you? I had to do it. You know damn well what I'm talking about."

At the time, Hendrix was going through a tense period in both his personal and professional lives, including being pressured by band members, record executives and his management, which Jeffery found threatening to his job, so the manager allegedly took out a $2 million life insurance policy on the star to cover any potential losses he might incur should Hendrix let him go.

Jeffery claims that he went out on the night of Hendrix's death and aquired numerous pills, and then "stuffed them" and a poured a "few bottles of red wine" into the guitar god's mouth.

Wright claims Jeffery told him, "I had to do it. Jimi was worth much more to me dead than alive. That son of a bitch was going to leave me. If I lost him, I'd lose everything."

For decades stories surrounding the death of the star have been unclear, as the accounts of his final hours from those around him have been conflicting.

According to Wright the comments were made in 1971, and just two years later Jeffery was killed in a plane crash.

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