Hotel where Janis Joplin died

On October 4, 1970, Janis Joplin was found dead in Room 105 of the Landmark Motor Hotel (now the Highland Gardens Hotel) on Franklin Avenue in Hollywood. She was 27 years old. The cause of death was an accidental heroin overdose, compounded by alcohol. She had been in Los Angeles recording what would become her masterpiece, Pearl, at Sunset Sound studio just a few miles away.

Joplin had been working with the Full Tilt Boogie Band on the Pearl sessions throughout September and early October 1970. The recordings were nearly complete — only the vocal track for "Buried Alive in the Blues" remained unfinished. The album was released posthumously in January 1971 and became her biggest commercial success, featuring "Me and Bobby McGee" and "Mercedes Benz."

The Landmark Motor Hotel was renamed the Highland Gardens Hotel, but the building remains largely unchanged. It still operates as a budget hotel on Franklin Avenue in the heart of Hollywood. Room 105 is still a rentable room. There is no plaque or memorial on the property, but fans regularly visit the location. The hotel sits just south of the Hollywood Hills, a short walk from the Hollywood Walk of Fame.