When iconic singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell started moving away from her folk roots into more jazzy territory, not all of her fans were happy…but one very famous jazz musician definitely approved: Charles Mingus.
Considered one of the greatest jazz musicians and composers in history, Mingus reached out to Mitchell after the release of her record Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter, and the two went on to collaborate on the 1979 album Mingus, though he sadly died before its completion. Now, in a video shared to her official Instagram account, Mitchell is sharing the story of a trip the musicians took to Mexico before his death…and how it inspired one of her most iconic paintings.
“When Mingus was dying in Mexico, we went to see a faith healer named Pachita,” Mitchell began, wearing a flowered shirt and straw hat, her long blonde hair in two braids.
“Now, the day before we went to Pachita’s, we went to see a bullfight in Mexico City,” the 81-year-old continued. “Well the first fight, the matador, when he drove the swords in, they went in and they came up through the back, so it was a really sloppy kill. The second fight, the bull came prancing in, he was strong and proud and the matador was fighting him valiantly and all of a sudden the bull flipped him on his horns and wounded him they carried him off on a stretcher.”
As Mitchell explained, the next day they visited Pachita.
“We lined up in a long line of sick people. We came into a room with a thousand candles burning in it and put Charles on a stretcher, horizontal, and I was standing behind him,” she said. At that point, Pachita took two knives and waved them in the air.
“The lights from the candles gleamed on the blades, and she stuck them into him like a matador. Blood spurted all over all of us,” Mitchell recalled.
Joni Mitchell and Charles Mingus’ visit to a faith healer took an unexpected turn
As it turned out, the dramatic scene wasn’t what it seemed at first.
“Then she wrapped a bandage around him and we stepped out into the corridor and I said to his wife Sue, I said, ‘That wasn’t Charles but look, it’s coagulated, it’s chicken blood. It’s all theater.’ She said, ‘Well, when they pull the bandages off, Charles is going to want to see blood.”
That’s when Mingus’ son Eugene stepped in, putting ketchup on the bandages while his father slept.
“So that’s kind of a diary of it,” Mitchell said, gesturing at a printed copy of her painting “Charlie the Bull Dying in Mexico.”
“So you’ve got the bullfighter here…you know, and Eugene here…and one day a kid showed up at my door and he said, ‘My name is Charles Mingus, I’m Charley Mingus’ grandson. And I said, ‘Come with me, in my living room I’ve got a painting of your father and you’re grandfather’…that’s this.”
Fans in the comments were blown away by the “wild” tale, with one begging for “more story time with Joni,” noting that she “must have so many good ones.”
Mingus died in Cuernavaca, Mexico, on January 5, 1979, after a long battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was 56 years old.
Related: Joni Mitchell’s Resurfaced Criticisms of Bob Dylan Have Fans Coming to His Defense
This story was originally reported by Parade on Sep 10, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com ’
