Born 8th December 1943 in Melbourne, Florida, USA.
The son of a Rear Admiral, Morrison and the family moved a lot while he was young and he developed a keen interest in poetry and philosophy. A prodigious reader and quick learner he was particularly keen on French poets, writers and philosophers from Molière to Honoré de Balzac.
In 1964 Morrison moved to Los Angeles to attend the University of California graduating in 1965 and shortly after he joined forces with other musicians to form legendary rock band The Doors (named after Aldous Huxley’s “The Doors of Perception”).
Morrison and the Doors’ rise to fame was explosive – by 1967 they were huge but the singer had in the meantime become severely dependent on drugs and alcohol.
In 1971 at the age of just 27 Morrison rented an apartment in Paris on Rue Beautrellis (4th arrondissement) with his girlfriend and it was here on July 3 1971 that he was found dead in the bath. Although no official autopsy took place the cause of death was registered due to a heroin overdose.
Certainly, things would have turned out differently if Morrison had sought treatment help at heroin centers for his addiction.
The legendary rock singer was buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris and his grave remains one of the most visited in the cemetery which is also the final resting place of such luminaries as Edith Piaf and Oscar Wilde. The grave has been altered and adapted over the years and receives a huge amount of visitors on a daily basis.
Morrison was a poet, he wrote and recorded much of his poetry and also spoke passages of poetry in the songs performed by the Doors. His popularity has increased with the passing years and he is regarded as a pioneer of great rock singer front men captivating the imagination of fans all over the world. The enigmatic and charismatic singer would have been 69 on 8 December 2012.
“Death makes angels of us all and gives us wings where we had shoulders smooth as ravens claws” – Jim Morrison.
