An erroneous and misleading statement regarding the gravesite of Jimi Hendrix made by an unofficial, fan-driven Web site led to rumors that have dealt a blow to the Hendrix family's credibility in preserving the memory of the legendary guitarist.

Following the Hendrix family's September 24 announcement that they plan on purchasing a 60-site plot of land within the Greenwood Memorial Cemetery (see "Plans For Jimi Hendrix Monument Unveiled"), Laura Woolman, a consultant to the family, posted information on an unofficial Hendrix Web site saying that the other sites would be for sale.

Ms. Woolman's statements, which she has since apologized for, were erroneous; as it turns out, and the Web site has since been taken down. James "Al" Hendrix, Jimi's father and the chairman of Experience: Hendrix, addresses the matter in a letter posted on the official Hendrix Web site (www.jimi-hendrix.com).

The letter reads, in part, that "Jimi is now buried beneath a very simple, flat stone, which was the best I could provide at the time [of his death]. Fans have always asked me why Jimi's grave is muddy and hard to find, and after winning back Jimi's legacy, I discussed it with the rest of the family, and we felt that Jimi should have a new memorial with benches and more room for the fans to visit. This decision was made from love, not for profit or gain, and I'm deeply hurt by the suggestion that I would have thoughts like that."

He added that Woolman's statements were "a complete shock, and I'm glad that responsibility is being taken for what's been done without our consent."

Woolman recently released a statement of her own, saying "My own memorial ideas were incorrectly posted to the Web site without any input or approval from the Hendrix family… The Web site, which was to provide fans with information regarding the memorial encourage feedback, was neither presented to nor approved by the family prior to launch, and contained my own independent fan-involvement ideas, which in hindsight were in poor taste."

A spokesperson for Experience: Hendrix told MTV News that the family has purchased the land for the memorial, and confirms that existing graves for other members of Hendrix' family will soon be moved to the memorial site. As of yet, there is no groundbreaking date for the memorial.

In 1997, the Hendrix family took control of the guitarist's estate, relaunched his catalog via the Experience: Hendrix company, and has since released a number of compilations. Hendrix, who died in 1970, only released three albums in his lifetime.