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Early on May 13, 1988, jazz legend Chet Baker was found dead on the street in Amsterdam, right outside the Hotel Prins Hendrik where he had spent the night. There were heroin and cocaine in his room as well as in his body, and the death was ruled an accident; he must have fallen from the second-story window by mistake, hitting his head hard on the pavement.
He was buried at the Inglewood Park Cemetery in California, and a memorial plaque was installed at the site of his death. The relief on the hotel's outer wall shows the Prince of Cool playing the trumpet, with an inscription below: "He will live on in his music for anyone willing to listen and feel."
The memorial is relatively obscure to regular tourists, but remains a site of pilgrimage for lovers of jazz.
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Know Before You Go
The Hotel Prins Hendrik is just a few minutes' walk from Amsterdam Centraal Station. As it is placed outside, one can view the memorial plaque at any hour of the day, guests or not.
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Published
May 29, 2024
