Jim Morrison was one of the most Iconic and influential person from the history of rock music. The legendary vocalist from The Doors was found dead in a bathtub in his Paris apartment due to heart failure in France, on July 3, 1971. On his death he became the most famous member to join the mysterious club 27

Text Credits: Shibul Pavithran

On July 3, 1971, Jim Morrison’s body was found in the bathtub of the Paris apartment that he was sharing with his girlfriend. While his official cause of death was listed as heart failure, many theories have circulated in the following years, with suspicions being raised due to the lack of an autopsy by French authorities. Jim was a manic alcoholic and frequent drug abuser during his days of charm in the music industry. The official cause of his death was recorded as “heart failure”. However, since his death there have been a few claims that state that he was killed by a bad batch of heroin and his death was then allegedly covered up by a pair of lower-level dealers.

James Douglas Morrison, popularly known as Jim Morrison was an American singer- songwriter  and poet, best remembered as the lead vocalist of The Doors. His poetic lyrics, unique voice, wild personality, active performances, and the dramatic circumstances surrounding his life and early death has intrigued millions of his followers. He was absolutely the bad boy of rock and roll era. Widely known as the Lizard King and Mr Mojo Risin, the frontman of the Doors was referred to as the “first major male sex symbol since James Dean died and Marlon Brando got a paunch”; He was the leather tiger; the ultimate “shaman-serpent king”.

Source: www.belstaff.eu

To his followers he represented everything they found occult: he was sex, drugs, rock ‘n’ roll personified; a man who rejected organised religion, had a lot of sex, lived off a diet of canned beans and LSD (allegedly), and sang about getting high and having mad sex. Sporting a long mane of brown curly hair, Morrison had a wardrobe that matched his bad boy reputation – leather trousers were his trademark, often worn with a leather jacket, an unbuttoned shirt and a Native American belt; he was the ultimate picture of a unruly romantic rebel.

“Everything is broken up and dances”- Awake, The Doors

Morrison’s downfall began at a 1969 concert in Florida. There, he was accused of exposing his genitals in front of the audience. Afterward, he was convicted of indecent exposure and profanity, leading many promoters to cancel shows for the band. Then, with his appeal pending and in the midst of personal and legal troubles.

After spending an explosive streak of worldwide hits with his bandmates, Jim Morrison reconvenes with The Doors to record what would become their final album, L.A. Woman. By the time the recording sessions were completed, Morrison had moved to Paris in March of 1971 with his girlfriend, Pamela Courson. While in Paris, it’s said that the Lizard King gained so much weight that he had become unrecognizable, leading many to believe that his health was in danger.

On 3 July 1971, Jim Morrison left the world, dying of heart failure aged just 27 and in the process joining what would become known as the Club 27 – a list of cultural icons who passed away at that age which includes Brian Jones, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain,(Amy Winehouse and Chris Cornell recently joined the club) among others. Since there was no autopsy performed, some believe that Mr. Mojo Risin’s death did not happen as it was reported by the media, and some even believe that he never died at all. But the electrifying legacy that he created through his music still lingers around in the playlist of the Rock and Roll fans who were bedazzled by the sixty’s magician, for them there is no end of Morrison.