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Humble beginning and a bitter end - Joplin was born in Port Arthur, Texas, on January 19, 1943. She tragically died in a Los Angeles hotel on October 4, 1970, from a heroin overdose.

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Family love - Her parents were Seth Ward Joplin, a Texaco engineer, and Dorothy Bonita East, a business college registrar. Joplin also had two younger siblings named Michael and Laura.

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One of the guys -

Joplin had a wedding planned in 1966, but backed out to join the psychedelic rock band Big Brother and the Holding Company. 

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Band hopping -

After leaving Big Brother and the Holding Company, Joplin went on to pursue a solo career with a backing band. She started with the Kozmic Blues Band, which didn't gain much traction, but later she switched to the Full Tilt Boogie Band, which was more popular among fans and critics.

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What a deal! -

If you were alive in the '60s (or you have a time machine) then you could have seen Joplin perform at Woodstock for the price of US$8 (the price of a day ticket). For the entire event, the singer earned US$7,500.

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A lover and a fighter - Joplin always held her own on- and off-stage. She earned a third-degree black belt in Kenpo Karate.

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Run-in with the law - In 1969, the singer was arrested during a performance for using "vulgar and indecent language." Tough crowd!

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Childhood struggles - The star suffered from relentless bullying throughout high school and college. As a cruel joke, she was named “Ugliest Man on Campus” by the fraternities at Texas University. She dropped out of college after one semester due to the torment she received.

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Chart topper -

Believe it or not, the singer didn't actually top the charts until after her death. Joplin's one and only chart-topper was her song 'Me and Bobby McGee,' which hit no. 1 on the Billboard Top 100 in 1971.

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She was a people pleaser -

Joplin spent much of her life worrying about receiving her parents' approval. Though they supported her dreams and music, they struggled with her on-going drug abuse.

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A true visionary - In 1995, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, alongside other legends such as Led Zeppelin, Al Green, and Neil Young.

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Hot ride -

She had a sweet psychedelic 1965 Porsche Cabriolet!

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A real gem -

Janis Joplin's last album before her death was entitled 'Pearl,' because that's what her closest friends used to call her.

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Alone in a crowd -

Despite constantly being surrounded by fans, the singer struggled deeply with feelings of loneliness. She is quoted as saying: "On stage, I make love to 25,000 people - then I go home alone."

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A tattoo trailblazer -

She had a tattoo before they were cool. In fact, during the 1960s, body art was highly controversial. Joplin had a Florentine bracelet tattooed on her left wrist.

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Standing her ground - When the lead singer of The Doors, Jim Morrison, came on to Joplin at a party she smashed a bottle of Southern Comfort on his head and knocked him out cold. The following day he told his bandmates about the incident, saying: "What a great woman! She's terrific!"

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Music was her religion - Joplin was known to carry around 'Lady Sings the Blues,' Billie Holiday's biography, everywhere.

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Substance abuse - For much of Joplin's young life, she struggled with drug addiction, and was a heavy drinker. She was known as a "speed freak," and regularly used heroin and methamphetamine. In the spring of 1965, she weighed a mere 88 lbs.

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Curtain call -

In 1967, she performed two different sets at the Monterey Pop Festival because the first one wasn't taped!

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Summer lovin' -

In 1967, Joplin dated Joe McDonald from the band Country Joe and the Fish. They were reportedly happy together, and typically passed the time in their apartment blaring the stereo whenever one of their own songs would come on.

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Free spirit -

Joplin was regarded by many, including her parents, as being a "wild child." She often acted outside the norm by dyeing her hair, hanging out in blues bars, and wearing outrageous clothing.

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Last call -

The final time Joplin was heard on tape was wishing John Lennon a happy birthday just days before her untimely death. She sang him the Dave Evans cowboy song 'Happy Trails.' He sadly received the message after her passing.

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A blues superfan -

The same year of her death, the singer-songwriter paid a very special tribute to her personal hero, "The Empress of Blues." Bessie Smith's grave was left unmarked in Philadelphia, which deeply troubled the singer. In 1970, Joplin bought a tombstone for Smith that read: "The Greatest Blues Singer in the World Will Never Stop Singing."

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Always the life of the party -

In her last will and testament, Joplin set aside US$1,500 for her friends to throw a massive funeral party. The Grateful Dead even performed at the ceremony!

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Finals wishes -

Another request in her will was that her ashes be scattered in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Marin County, near her beloved San Francisco.

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True to herself -

Despite the ridicule she received in her adolescence, Janis Joplin never stopped being the charismatic rebel many have come to love. In the words of the rock queen herself: "Don't compromise yourself. You're all you've got."

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The 27 club -

Joplin's untimely death came within a year of the deaths of other rock legends like Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison. They were all 27 years old, which started the phenomenon of the 27 club. They were later joined by other young stars like Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse.

Sources: (BuzzFeed) (Britannica)

See also: 27 famous members of the 27 Club

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