Janis Joplin gets posthumous Hollywood star

Published November 5, 2013
Siblings of the late Janis Joplin, Laura (2nd L) and Michael (2nd R), pose with Kris Kristofferson (L) who performed “Me & Bobby McGee” for the crowd, and Clive Davis (R) pose on Janis's 'Star' on November 4, 2013 in Hollywood, California. — Photo by AFP
Siblings of the late Janis Joplin, Laura (2nd L) and Michael (2nd R), pose with Kris Kristofferson (L) who performed “Me & Bobby McGee” for the crowd, and Clive Davis (R) pose on Janis's 'Star' on November 4, 2013 in Hollywood, California. — Photo by AFP

LOS ANGELES: Singing legend Janis Joplin was honoured Monday with a star on Hollywood's storied Walk of Fame more than four decades after her death from a drug overdose.

The raspy-voiced singing star was immortalized on the famous Hollywood walk at a ceremony attended by her brother Michael and sister Laura, while country music luminary Kris Kristofferson played her signature hit “Me and Bobby McGee.”

”Janis Joplin is an iconic figure, and her songs will always be remembered by her fans around the world,” said Ana Martinez of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which oversees the famous Tinseltown sidewalk.

The 1960s hard-partying rock singer would have been 70 years old this year.

She died in October 1970, at the age of 27.

Joplin was given the 2,510th star on the Walk of Fame, where entertainment legends have long been enshrined on a stretch of pavement which attracts millions of tourists every year.

Her famous songs include “Down on Me,” “Summertime,” “Cry Baby” and “Mercedes Benz.” But her biggest hit was “Me and Bobby McGee,” written by Kristofferson.

Ironically, the song — part-ballad, part high-energy rock anthem — only topped the US charts in 1971, the year after Joplin died of a drug overdose.

Kristofferson played an acoustic version of the song on Monday outside the Musicians Institute, near the famous Hollywood and Highland intersection.

The raspy-voice Joplin, who produced four studio albums in her short career which included a legendary performance at the era-defining Woodstock festival in 1969, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.

Opinion

Editorial

Punishing evaders
02 May, 2024

Punishing evaders

THE FBR’s decision to block mobile phone connections of more than half a million individuals who did not file...
Engaging Riyadh
Updated 02 May, 2024

Engaging Riyadh

It must be stressed that to pull in maximum foreign investment, a climate of domestic political stability is crucial.
Freedom to question
02 May, 2024

Freedom to question

WITH frequently suspended freedoms, increasing violence and few to speak out for the oppressed, it is unlikely that...
Wheat protests
Updated 01 May, 2024

Wheat protests

The government should withdraw from the wheat trade gradually, replacing the existing market support mechanism with an effective new one over the next several years.
Polio drive
01 May, 2024

Polio drive

THE year’s fourth polio drive has kicked off across Pakistan, with the aim to immunise more than 24m children ...
Workers’ struggle
Updated 01 May, 2024

Workers’ struggle

Yet the struggle to secure a living wage — and decent working conditions — for the toiling masses must continue.