Post by darkstar3 on Jun 10, 2011 19:50:53 GMT
The Free Lance Star
July 9 1971
Montreal Gazette
July 10 1971
Rock Star Jim Morrison Dead After Heart Attack
PARIS – (AP) Jim Morrison, lead singer of The Doors and a star of the acid rock scene, died in Paris last Saturday and was buried Wednesday in Pere Lachasie cemetery.
The death of the 27-year old entertainer was announced early yesterday in Los Angeles by his manager William Siddons, and confirmed by United States Officials in the French capital.
The cause of death of was not given on the official listing, but Siddons said Morrison died of natural causes.
Siddons attended the funeral and took Morrison’s wife, Pamela back to Los Angeles. The Morrison’s had no children.
Reuter News Agency quoted Paris police as saying Morrison died in his bath of a heart attack.
Police said a medical investigation showed the attack was caused because the water was either too hot or too cold. “There was no signs of violence on the body nor was there any indication that drugs were involved,” a police spokesman said.
DIED PEACEFULLY
Siddons said Morrison, “died peacefully of natural causes.
“I can’t say the exact cause of death because I didn’t see the death certificate before I let he added.
Max Fink, the singer’s personal lawyer, said he had been told that Morrison either suffered a heart attack or died from pneumonia.
Morrison’s parents, Admiral and Mrs. Steve Morrison of Arlington, Virginia., said they had talked Thursday to relatives on the West Coast who had heard nothing unusual about their son.
“We knew he was in Paris but we haven’t heard from him since he arrived,” Mrs. Morrison said.
In a statement to reporters on his arrival here, Siddons said he had “just returned from France where I attended the funeral of James Morrison.”
“Jim was buried in a simple ceremony with only a few friends present.”
Siddons said Morrison’s death “was kept quiet because those of us who knew him…wanted to avoid all the notoriety and circus like atmosphere that surrounded the deaths of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.”
He would not say where in France the rock singer is buried. Miss Joplin and Hendrix, both widely know rock stars, died last year. Hendrix’s death was linked by authorities to barbiturate poisoning, Miss Joplin’s to an overdose of drugs.
Siddons said Morrison had seen a doctor in Paris last Saturday about a respiratory problem and “complained of this problem on the day of his death.”
The singer had been in France with his wife since March writing a movie screenplay following a tour of Europe and North Africa, Siddons said.
Born in Melbourne, Florida and a graduate of UCLA Morrison and The Doors, based in Hollywood, rose to rock fame in 1967 with the release of an eventual million copy seller, Light My Fire.
As a singer Morrison was described by one rock critic as “cold, insolent, evil, slightly mad and seemed to be in some sort of hypnotic trance.”
In Miami, Florida, in March 1969, Morrison was accused of lewd and lascivious conduct for allegedly exposing himself before a huge crowd during a performance by The Doors. He was found not guilty of the charge. A court, however, found him guilt of using obscene language during the show.
LED TO RALLY
The incident led to a later Rally for Decency in Florida which featured other singers and television performers.
The Doors had two other albums which included such hits as Strange, Unknown Soldier and Hello, I Love You, Won’t You Tell Your Name and Touch Me.
Since late 1969 the group had been in a slump but recently began to regain popularity with the release of their latest album LA Woman.
“He was a most human, most warm, most understanding person I’ve known.” Siddons added. “That wasn’t always the Jim Morrison people read about.”
“But it was the Jim Morrison I knew and his close friends will remember.”
END.
Milwaukee Journal
July 13 1971
By: Tony Kornheiser
Newsday Service
HIS QUIET DEATH NOT LIKE MORRISON
Say what you will about Jim Morrison: that he was a bad poet, a bad singer, even that he was a bad person. But also say he was a super star.
He was Jim Morrison like Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix was Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. And that’s three who “was” which says something about what being a superstar is all about.
Morrison died in Paris at 27 from what French authorities described as heart failure. He was buried there and his manager, William Siddons, said, “The initial news of his death and funeral was kept quiet because those that knew him wanted to avoid all the notoriety and circus like atmosphere that surrounded the deaths of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.”
HE WASN’T QUIET
But quiet was never Morrison’s style. A resurrection would have been closer to it. Morrison was the American Mick Jagger; The Doors were the American Rolling Stones. If Altamont were revisited, The Doors would headline the bill. When Morrison wore leather, he was De Sade. When he grew a beard he was Charles Manson. His appeal was totally sexual and his audiences often went home wet and limp.
Sex, violence and screams. They kept The Doors on the charts for four years. Morrison liked to think of himself as a poet. For the Doors third album, “Waiting For The Sun,” he wrote a poem called “Celebration of the Lizard,” It was a bit of Yeats, a bit of Blake and a whole lot of Morrison. It had lines like, “Feel good, cold stinging blood” and, “The minister’s daughter’s in love with the snake.”
The most poetic thing it had in it read, “Not to touch the earth/Not to touch the sun/Nothing left to do but run, run, run/C’mon, baby run with me.”
It is a terrible poem, but it is Morrison.
DOORS DECLINED
That third album started the decline of The Doors. They simply couldn’t measure up to previous standards. They began almost parodying themselves. They stayed on the charts, but they lost respect. Not adoration, not fans, just respect.
But while the group lost critical acclaim, Morrison built a reputation as the ultimate sexual theatre. He was the show. It was then that the Doors became simply Morrison.
The ultimate Morrison song was “Touch Me.” It was giant hit in 1969. A mixed bag of rock and croon that began with Morrison pleading, “C’mon, C’mon touch me, babe. Can’t you see that I am not afraid?”
And he wasn’t. He was a god among gods, one of the brightest stars in the rock galaxy.
A Doors concert was never a sure thing. Sometimes Morrison would show, and sometimes wouldn’t. He was old Hollywood, a prima donna. But he was the attraction and he could afford to be. If Morrison did show, no one, not even his fellow Doors knew what he was going to do.
In Miami in 1969 he was accused and later convicted of exposing himself before 12,000 people at a concert. No one walked out on his act.
WAS A HEAVY DRINKER
Morrison wasn’t known as a heavy user narcotics, but he often drank himself into unconsciousness. It seemed a comfort. In “The Celebration of the Lizard,” he spoke of going, “Way back into the brain, where there’s never any pain.”
There will be no pain for Jim Morrison. No more songs, no more screams, no more sex and no more celebration. Disc Jockeys will flood the airwaves with eulogies and music of “the late, great Jim Morrison of the Doors.”
But there will be nothing more of the lizard king.
END.
Lodi Sentinel
July 10 1971
JIM MORRISON IS DEAD
Paris (UPI) Jim Morrison the third major American rock musician to die in less than a year, succumbed last Saturday at the age of 27 but his death was kept a secret for six days in an effort to avoid publicity, it was disclosed Friday.
Morrison, leader of “The Doors,” was noted for his aggressive style on stage. He was appealing an obscenity conviction at the time of his death.
Police said Morrison died of a heart attack while taking a bath and was buried Wednesday at historic Pere Lachaise Cemetery with only five close friends in attendance.
In Los Angeles, Bill Siddons, Morrison’s manager, said the death was kept a secret “to avoid all the notoriety and circus like atmosphere that surrounded the deaths of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.
Hendrix and Miss Joplin died of drug overdoses slightly more than a week apart nine months ago.
Siddons said Morrison, who came to Paris last April to write a book, “had seen a doctor in Paris about a respiratory problem on Saturday, the day of his death.”
Police said the funeral was arranged by Morrison’s girlfriend, Pamela Courson, 25, of Los Angeles who had been his companion for the past five years. She left Paris immediately after the funeral.
“Miss Courson told us she called a police ambulance immediately on finding Morrison unconscious in the bath tub,” a police officer said. “When the ambulance got there, Morrison was already dead.”
The singer’s grave in the cemetery that holds the bodies of Balzac, Edith Piaf, Moliere, and Oscar Wilde was marked only by a wilting bouquet of long stemmed flowers laid over a mound of loose soil mixed with sea shells and stones.
Morrison a naïve of Melbourne, Florida and son of Rear Admiral George S. Morrison, formed “The Doors” in Los Angeles in 1965 and the group went to the top of the charts with a song called “Break On Through.” Another hit was “Light My Fire.”
Morrison was arrested a few years ago in Miami and convicted of using obscene language and exposing himself during a concert. He was fined $500 and sentenced to six months in jail but was free pending appeal at the time of his death.
END.
Spartanburg Herald Journal
July 10 1971
Anchorage Daily News
July 10 1971
THE DOORS’ “BARBIE DOLL’ MORRISON DEAD AT AGE 27
PARIS (AP) Sexual and insolent in black leather pants and open shirts, lead singer Jim Morrison of The Doors writhed and shook his shoulder length hair as he pounded out the hits.
Young audiences exploded when their “acid-evangelist of rock” cut loose with “Light My Fire” and the electronic musical accompaniment pulsated suggestively.
Called everything from the “ultimate Barbie doll” to “the most human, most warm, most understanding person,” Morrison died here last Saturday and was buried Wednesday in Pere Lachaise Cemetery.
His death at 27, was announced Friday in Los Angeles by his manager William Siddons and confirmed by U.S. Officials in the French capital. Siddons attended the funeral, and brought Morrison’s wife, Pamela, back to Los Angeles where The Doors first rose to prominence in 1967.
The singer’s lawyer, Max Fink said Morrison died in a Paris hospital of a heart attack, or pheumonia. Siddons added that on the day he died Morrison complained of respiratory trouble. The official listing did not say what he died of.
“Jim was buried in France in a simple ceremony with only a few friends present,” Siddons said.
END.
Eugene Register Guard
July 9 1971
DEATH KEPT SECRET
Controversial Singer Dies Of Heart Attack
PARIS (UPI) Jim Morrison, lead sinegr of “The Doors”, whose raw sexual on stage style made him and international star – and a defendant in an obscenity trial – died last week and was buried in Paris, the American Embassy said today. He was 27.
Police said Morrison because ill last Saturday while taking a bath at the apartment he shared with Pamela Courson, 25, his common law wife. He was pronounced dead of an apparent heart attack by a doctor, they said.
The embassy said Morrison was buried Wednesday in a private ceremony at one of the oldest cemeteries in the city. Pere Lachaise. The service was attended by only a few close friends.
A record industry spokesman said Morrison was in Paris writing a book.
Bill Siddons, Morrison’s manager, said in Los Angeles that initial news of the singer’s death was kept secret “to avoid all the notoriety and circus like atmosphere that surrounded the deaths of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.”
Siddons said he arrived in Los Angeles from Paris Thursday night.
Although Morrison and “The Doors” achieved widespread acclaim in rock music circles through their hard hitting sound, Morrison was in the headlines several times because of his stage antics which caused the group to be banned in several U.S. Cities.
He was arrested a few years ago in Miami for using obscene language and exposing himself during a concert. He was convicted last October, fined $500 and sentenced to six months in jail. He was free on $50,000 bail pending an appeal at the time of his death.
Morrison’s Miami appearance sparked teenagers there to counter with a “Rally For Decency” which the organizers felt would show that the majority of young people do not subscribe to Morrison’s attitudes.
A native of Melbourne, Florida, the son of Rear Admiral George S. Morrison, Jim formed “The Doors” in 1965 in Los Angeles.
He said the singer “had seen a doctor in Paris about a respiratory problem and had complained the day of his death.”
Siddons said the death and burial were properly reported to French authorities and all local laws complied with.
He said the cause of death “definitely had nothing to do with narcotics.”
END.
The Owosso-Argus Press
July 10 1971
Acid-evangelist Of Rock Dead At 27 .
PARIS (AP) - Sexual and insolent in black leather pants and open shirts, lead singer Jim Morrison of The Doors writhed and shook his shoulder length hair as he pounded out the hits.
Young audiences exploded when their “acid-evangelist of rock” cut loose with “Light My Fire” and the electronic musical accompaniment pulsated suggestively.
Called everything from the “ultimate Barbie doll” to “the most human, most warm, most understanding person,” Morrison died here last Saturday and was buried Wednesday in Pere Lachaise Cemetery.
His death at 27, was announced Friday in Los Angeles by his manager William Siddons and confirmed by U.S. Officials in the French capital. Siddons attended the funeral, and brought Morrison’s wife, Pamela, back to Los Angeles where The Doors first rose to prominence in 1967.
The singer’s lawyer, Max Fink, and Siddons said Friday that the singer’s wife and friends in Paris are positive Morrison died from heart failure. The official listing did not give a cause of death.
Fink said his understanding was that Morrison was suffering from pneumonia, developed a high fever, and died in his Paris home instead of a hospital as previously reported. “They probably rushed him to a hospital, but it was too late,” he said.
“Jim was buried in France in a simple ceremony with only a few friends present,” Siddons said.
“The initial news of his death and funeral was kept quiet because those of us who knew him as a person wanted to avoid to all the notoriety and circus like atmosphere that surrounded the deaths of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.”
Miss Joplin and Hendrix, both 27 and widely known rock stars, died within 16 days of each other last fall. Hendrix’ death in London was linked by authorities to barbiturate poisoning, Miss Joplin’s in a Hollywood motel to a drug overdose.
The images in his songs were full of poetry and terror. “The End,” an 11 ½ minute piece from the first album by The Doors, includes the lyrics: “Father? Yes son? I WANT TO KILL YOU. Mother I want to____” Morrison ended with a scream.
Since late 1969 the group had been in a slump but recently had begun to regain popularity with the release of its latest album, “LA Woman.”
END.
The Bulletin
July 9 1971
SECRET PARIS BURIAL
Rock Star Dies
PARIS (UPI) - American rock star, Jim Morrison, 27, lead singer of “The Doors,” whos raw sexual on stage style made him an international star – and a defendant in an obscenity trial – died of a heart attack last Saturday and was buried secretly in a Paris cemetery, police reported today.
Police said Morrison was discovered unconscious in the bathroom of his chic apartment by Pamela Courson, 25, of Los Angeles, California, his companion for the past five years and regarded as his common law wife.
“Miss Courson said when Morrison awoke last Saturday, he was not feeling well,” a police spokeman said. “He asked her to get a bath ready and then entered the bathroom.
“Not hearing any noise, Miss Courson later opened the door to find Morrison lying unconscious in the bath.”
The officer at the precinct for the Fourth Arondissement, a fashionable district of Paris, said Morrison was dead when a police ambulance arrived at his apartment. He said a doctor later issued a certificate attributed the death to a heart attack.
A native of Melbourne, Florida, the son of Rear Admiral George S. Morrison, Jim formed “The Doors” in 1965 in Los Angeles.
END.
Rome News Tribune
July 9 1971
LEADING ‘ROCK’ SINGER DIES
LOS ANGELES (UPI) – Jim Morrison 27, lead singer of “The Doors” rock group famous for his outrageous stage appearances, died and was secretly buried in Paris, France, his manager and public relations firm said Thursday.
Bill Siddons, Morrison’s manager, said a funeral had already been conducted in France. He said the initial news of Morrison’s death was kept secret “to avoid all the notoriety and circus like atmosphere that surrounded the deaths of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.”
Morrison died Saturday of natural causes while sleeping, said a spokesman for Gershman, Gibson, and Stronger Public Relations.
END.
Sarasota Herald Tribune
July 10 1971
JAMS MORRISON, ROCK SINGER, DIES
PARIS (AP) - Sexual and insolent in black leather pants and open shirts, lead singer Jim Morrison of The Doors writhed and shook his shoulder length hair as he pounded out the hits.
Young audiences exploded when their “acid-evangelist of rock” cut loose with “Light My Fire” and the electronic musical accompaniment pulsated suggestively.
Called everything from the “ultimate Barbie doll” to “the most human, most warm, most understanding person,” Morrison died here last Saturday and was buried Wednesday in Pere Lachaise Cemetery.
His death at 27, was announced Friday in Los Angeles by his manager William Siddons and confirmed by U.S. Officials in the French capital. Siddons attended the funeral, and brought Morrison’s wife, Pamela, back to Los Angeles where The Doors first rose to prominence in 1967.
The singer’s lawyer, Max Fink said Morrison died in a Paris hospital of a heart attack, or pheumonia. Siddons added that on the day he died Morrison complained of respiratory trouble. The official listing did not say what he died of.
“Jim was buried in France in a simple ceremony with only a few friends present,” Siddons said.
“The initial news of his death and funeral was kept quiet because those of us who knew him as a person wanted to avoid to all the notoriety and circus like atmosphere that surrounded the deaths of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.”
Miss Joplin and Hendrix, both 27 and widely known rock stars, died within 16 days of each other last fall. Hendrix’ death in London was linked by authorities to barbiturate poisoning, Miss Joplin’s in a Hollywood motel to a drug overdose.
“He was the most human, most warm, most understanding person I’ve known,” Siddons said. “That wasn’t always the Jim Morrison that people read about. But it was I knew and his close friends will remember.”
Sources close to the singer said he had rented a house in Paris last March to write a movie screenplay following a tour of Europe and North Africa. Morrison had published a book of poems and was interested in films.
The images in his songs were full of poetry and terror. “The End,” an 11 ½ minute piece from the first album by The Doors, includes the lyrics: “Father? Yes son? I WANT TO KILL YOU. Mother I want to____” Morrison ended with a scream.
The Doors had two other albums which included such hits as “Strange,” Unknown Soldier,” “Hello I Love You Won’t You Tell Me Your Name,” and :Touch Me.”
Since late 1969 the group had been in a slump but recently had begun to regain popularity with the release of its latest album, “LA Woman.”
Morrison and The Doors first rose to fame in 1967 with the release of an eventual million copy seller, “Light My Fire.”
He was born in Melbourne, Florida, the son of Rear Admiral and Mrs. George S. Morrison and was a graduate of the University of California in Los Angeles. His parents, who now reside in Arlington, Virginia, said they had talked Thursday with relatives on the West Coast who had heard nothing unusual about their son.
“We knew he was in Paris but we haven’t heard from him since he arrived,” Mrs. Morrison said.
END.
The Times – UK
July 10 1971
Obituaries
Page 14
JIM MORRISON
Jim Morrison, whose death in Paris last Saturday was reported yesterday, lived much of his life like any dime novelist’s idea of a rock ‘n’ roll star. At his prime every performance was a ritual, a mock crucifixion enacted in skin tight black leather and reaching its climax with the scream of “We want the world and we want it now!”
Born 27 years ago in California, Morrison formed his band, The Doors, where he met organist Ray Manzarek in Italy in 1965. The following year they began playing in Los Angeles, and became one of the first of the American “New Wave” bands to catch on with the public. Their biggest hit single was “Light My Fire,” and their albums were consistent best sellers.
Morrison’s writing for the band often flirted with quasi literary imagery, and his stage appearances contained a strong element of theatre. The music itself was never as strong as the band’s collective imagination suggested: Morrison was in fact not a very good singer, and possessed a very limited technical and emotional range. It was his face, with its look of a fallen angel and his agonized bearing which drew him so many admirers.
Recently the band’s power waned drastically. Their appearance at last year’s Isle Of Wight Festival was a disappointment, and Morrison talked of returning to his first love, films.
archive.timesonline.co.uk/tol/vie....s-1971-07-10-14
July 9 1971
Montreal Gazette
July 10 1971
Rock Star Jim Morrison Dead After Heart Attack
PARIS – (AP) Jim Morrison, lead singer of The Doors and a star of the acid rock scene, died in Paris last Saturday and was buried Wednesday in Pere Lachasie cemetery.
The death of the 27-year old entertainer was announced early yesterday in Los Angeles by his manager William Siddons, and confirmed by United States Officials in the French capital.
The cause of death of was not given on the official listing, but Siddons said Morrison died of natural causes.
Siddons attended the funeral and took Morrison’s wife, Pamela back to Los Angeles. The Morrison’s had no children.
Reuter News Agency quoted Paris police as saying Morrison died in his bath of a heart attack.
Police said a medical investigation showed the attack was caused because the water was either too hot or too cold. “There was no signs of violence on the body nor was there any indication that drugs were involved,” a police spokesman said.
DIED PEACEFULLY
Siddons said Morrison, “died peacefully of natural causes.
“I can’t say the exact cause of death because I didn’t see the death certificate before I let he added.
Max Fink, the singer’s personal lawyer, said he had been told that Morrison either suffered a heart attack or died from pneumonia.
Morrison’s parents, Admiral and Mrs. Steve Morrison of Arlington, Virginia., said they had talked Thursday to relatives on the West Coast who had heard nothing unusual about their son.
“We knew he was in Paris but we haven’t heard from him since he arrived,” Mrs. Morrison said.
In a statement to reporters on his arrival here, Siddons said he had “just returned from France where I attended the funeral of James Morrison.”
“Jim was buried in a simple ceremony with only a few friends present.”
Siddons said Morrison’s death “was kept quiet because those of us who knew him…wanted to avoid all the notoriety and circus like atmosphere that surrounded the deaths of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.”
He would not say where in France the rock singer is buried. Miss Joplin and Hendrix, both widely know rock stars, died last year. Hendrix’s death was linked by authorities to barbiturate poisoning, Miss Joplin’s to an overdose of drugs.
Siddons said Morrison had seen a doctor in Paris last Saturday about a respiratory problem and “complained of this problem on the day of his death.”
The singer had been in France with his wife since March writing a movie screenplay following a tour of Europe and North Africa, Siddons said.
Born in Melbourne, Florida and a graduate of UCLA Morrison and The Doors, based in Hollywood, rose to rock fame in 1967 with the release of an eventual million copy seller, Light My Fire.
As a singer Morrison was described by one rock critic as “cold, insolent, evil, slightly mad and seemed to be in some sort of hypnotic trance.”
In Miami, Florida, in March 1969, Morrison was accused of lewd and lascivious conduct for allegedly exposing himself before a huge crowd during a performance by The Doors. He was found not guilty of the charge. A court, however, found him guilt of using obscene language during the show.
LED TO RALLY
The incident led to a later Rally for Decency in Florida which featured other singers and television performers.
The Doors had two other albums which included such hits as Strange, Unknown Soldier and Hello, I Love You, Won’t You Tell Your Name and Touch Me.
Since late 1969 the group had been in a slump but recently began to regain popularity with the release of their latest album LA Woman.
“He was a most human, most warm, most understanding person I’ve known.” Siddons added. “That wasn’t always the Jim Morrison people read about.”
“But it was the Jim Morrison I knew and his close friends will remember.”
END.
Milwaukee Journal
July 13 1971
By: Tony Kornheiser
Newsday Service
HIS QUIET DEATH NOT LIKE MORRISON
Say what you will about Jim Morrison: that he was a bad poet, a bad singer, even that he was a bad person. But also say he was a super star.
He was Jim Morrison like Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix was Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. And that’s three who “was” which says something about what being a superstar is all about.
Morrison died in Paris at 27 from what French authorities described as heart failure. He was buried there and his manager, William Siddons, said, “The initial news of his death and funeral was kept quiet because those that knew him wanted to avoid all the notoriety and circus like atmosphere that surrounded the deaths of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.”
HE WASN’T QUIET
But quiet was never Morrison’s style. A resurrection would have been closer to it. Morrison was the American Mick Jagger; The Doors were the American Rolling Stones. If Altamont were revisited, The Doors would headline the bill. When Morrison wore leather, he was De Sade. When he grew a beard he was Charles Manson. His appeal was totally sexual and his audiences often went home wet and limp.
Sex, violence and screams. They kept The Doors on the charts for four years. Morrison liked to think of himself as a poet. For the Doors third album, “Waiting For The Sun,” he wrote a poem called “Celebration of the Lizard,” It was a bit of Yeats, a bit of Blake and a whole lot of Morrison. It had lines like, “Feel good, cold stinging blood” and, “The minister’s daughter’s in love with the snake.”
The most poetic thing it had in it read, “Not to touch the earth/Not to touch the sun/Nothing left to do but run, run, run/C’mon, baby run with me.”
It is a terrible poem, but it is Morrison.
DOORS DECLINED
That third album started the decline of The Doors. They simply couldn’t measure up to previous standards. They began almost parodying themselves. They stayed on the charts, but they lost respect. Not adoration, not fans, just respect.
But while the group lost critical acclaim, Morrison built a reputation as the ultimate sexual theatre. He was the show. It was then that the Doors became simply Morrison.
The ultimate Morrison song was “Touch Me.” It was giant hit in 1969. A mixed bag of rock and croon that began with Morrison pleading, “C’mon, C’mon touch me, babe. Can’t you see that I am not afraid?”
And he wasn’t. He was a god among gods, one of the brightest stars in the rock galaxy.
A Doors concert was never a sure thing. Sometimes Morrison would show, and sometimes wouldn’t. He was old Hollywood, a prima donna. But he was the attraction and he could afford to be. If Morrison did show, no one, not even his fellow Doors knew what he was going to do.
In Miami in 1969 he was accused and later convicted of exposing himself before 12,000 people at a concert. No one walked out on his act.
WAS A HEAVY DRINKER
Morrison wasn’t known as a heavy user narcotics, but he often drank himself into unconsciousness. It seemed a comfort. In “The Celebration of the Lizard,” he spoke of going, “Way back into the brain, where there’s never any pain.”
There will be no pain for Jim Morrison. No more songs, no more screams, no more sex and no more celebration. Disc Jockeys will flood the airwaves with eulogies and music of “the late, great Jim Morrison of the Doors.”
But there will be nothing more of the lizard king.
END.
Lodi Sentinel
July 10 1971
JIM MORRISON IS DEAD
Paris (UPI) Jim Morrison the third major American rock musician to die in less than a year, succumbed last Saturday at the age of 27 but his death was kept a secret for six days in an effort to avoid publicity, it was disclosed Friday.
Morrison, leader of “The Doors,” was noted for his aggressive style on stage. He was appealing an obscenity conviction at the time of his death.
Police said Morrison died of a heart attack while taking a bath and was buried Wednesday at historic Pere Lachaise Cemetery with only five close friends in attendance.
In Los Angeles, Bill Siddons, Morrison’s manager, said the death was kept a secret “to avoid all the notoriety and circus like atmosphere that surrounded the deaths of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.
Hendrix and Miss Joplin died of drug overdoses slightly more than a week apart nine months ago.
Siddons said Morrison, who came to Paris last April to write a book, “had seen a doctor in Paris about a respiratory problem on Saturday, the day of his death.”
Police said the funeral was arranged by Morrison’s girlfriend, Pamela Courson, 25, of Los Angeles who had been his companion for the past five years. She left Paris immediately after the funeral.
“Miss Courson told us she called a police ambulance immediately on finding Morrison unconscious in the bath tub,” a police officer said. “When the ambulance got there, Morrison was already dead.”
The singer’s grave in the cemetery that holds the bodies of Balzac, Edith Piaf, Moliere, and Oscar Wilde was marked only by a wilting bouquet of long stemmed flowers laid over a mound of loose soil mixed with sea shells and stones.
Morrison a naïve of Melbourne, Florida and son of Rear Admiral George S. Morrison, formed “The Doors” in Los Angeles in 1965 and the group went to the top of the charts with a song called “Break On Through.” Another hit was “Light My Fire.”
Morrison was arrested a few years ago in Miami and convicted of using obscene language and exposing himself during a concert. He was fined $500 and sentenced to six months in jail but was free pending appeal at the time of his death.
END.
Spartanburg Herald Journal
July 10 1971
Anchorage Daily News
July 10 1971
THE DOORS’ “BARBIE DOLL’ MORRISON DEAD AT AGE 27
PARIS (AP) Sexual and insolent in black leather pants and open shirts, lead singer Jim Morrison of The Doors writhed and shook his shoulder length hair as he pounded out the hits.
Young audiences exploded when their “acid-evangelist of rock” cut loose with “Light My Fire” and the electronic musical accompaniment pulsated suggestively.
Called everything from the “ultimate Barbie doll” to “the most human, most warm, most understanding person,” Morrison died here last Saturday and was buried Wednesday in Pere Lachaise Cemetery.
His death at 27, was announced Friday in Los Angeles by his manager William Siddons and confirmed by U.S. Officials in the French capital. Siddons attended the funeral, and brought Morrison’s wife, Pamela, back to Los Angeles where The Doors first rose to prominence in 1967.
The singer’s lawyer, Max Fink said Morrison died in a Paris hospital of a heart attack, or pheumonia. Siddons added that on the day he died Morrison complained of respiratory trouble. The official listing did not say what he died of.
“Jim was buried in France in a simple ceremony with only a few friends present,” Siddons said.
END.
Eugene Register Guard
July 9 1971
DEATH KEPT SECRET
Controversial Singer Dies Of Heart Attack
PARIS (UPI) Jim Morrison, lead sinegr of “The Doors”, whose raw sexual on stage style made him and international star – and a defendant in an obscenity trial – died last week and was buried in Paris, the American Embassy said today. He was 27.
Police said Morrison because ill last Saturday while taking a bath at the apartment he shared with Pamela Courson, 25, his common law wife. He was pronounced dead of an apparent heart attack by a doctor, they said.
The embassy said Morrison was buried Wednesday in a private ceremony at one of the oldest cemeteries in the city. Pere Lachaise. The service was attended by only a few close friends.
A record industry spokesman said Morrison was in Paris writing a book.
Bill Siddons, Morrison’s manager, said in Los Angeles that initial news of the singer’s death was kept secret “to avoid all the notoriety and circus like atmosphere that surrounded the deaths of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.”
Siddons said he arrived in Los Angeles from Paris Thursday night.
Although Morrison and “The Doors” achieved widespread acclaim in rock music circles through their hard hitting sound, Morrison was in the headlines several times because of his stage antics which caused the group to be banned in several U.S. Cities.
He was arrested a few years ago in Miami for using obscene language and exposing himself during a concert. He was convicted last October, fined $500 and sentenced to six months in jail. He was free on $50,000 bail pending an appeal at the time of his death.
Morrison’s Miami appearance sparked teenagers there to counter with a “Rally For Decency” which the organizers felt would show that the majority of young people do not subscribe to Morrison’s attitudes.
A native of Melbourne, Florida, the son of Rear Admiral George S. Morrison, Jim formed “The Doors” in 1965 in Los Angeles.
He said the singer “had seen a doctor in Paris about a respiratory problem and had complained the day of his death.”
Siddons said the death and burial were properly reported to French authorities and all local laws complied with.
He said the cause of death “definitely had nothing to do with narcotics.”
END.
The Owosso-Argus Press
July 10 1971
Acid-evangelist Of Rock Dead At 27 .
PARIS (AP) - Sexual and insolent in black leather pants and open shirts, lead singer Jim Morrison of The Doors writhed and shook his shoulder length hair as he pounded out the hits.
Young audiences exploded when their “acid-evangelist of rock” cut loose with “Light My Fire” and the electronic musical accompaniment pulsated suggestively.
Called everything from the “ultimate Barbie doll” to “the most human, most warm, most understanding person,” Morrison died here last Saturday and was buried Wednesday in Pere Lachaise Cemetery.
His death at 27, was announced Friday in Los Angeles by his manager William Siddons and confirmed by U.S. Officials in the French capital. Siddons attended the funeral, and brought Morrison’s wife, Pamela, back to Los Angeles where The Doors first rose to prominence in 1967.
The singer’s lawyer, Max Fink, and Siddons said Friday that the singer’s wife and friends in Paris are positive Morrison died from heart failure. The official listing did not give a cause of death.
Fink said his understanding was that Morrison was suffering from pneumonia, developed a high fever, and died in his Paris home instead of a hospital as previously reported. “They probably rushed him to a hospital, but it was too late,” he said.
“Jim was buried in France in a simple ceremony with only a few friends present,” Siddons said.
“The initial news of his death and funeral was kept quiet because those of us who knew him as a person wanted to avoid to all the notoriety and circus like atmosphere that surrounded the deaths of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.”
Miss Joplin and Hendrix, both 27 and widely known rock stars, died within 16 days of each other last fall. Hendrix’ death in London was linked by authorities to barbiturate poisoning, Miss Joplin’s in a Hollywood motel to a drug overdose.
The images in his songs were full of poetry and terror. “The End,” an 11 ½ minute piece from the first album by The Doors, includes the lyrics: “Father? Yes son? I WANT TO KILL YOU. Mother I want to____” Morrison ended with a scream.
Since late 1969 the group had been in a slump but recently had begun to regain popularity with the release of its latest album, “LA Woman.”
END.
The Bulletin
July 9 1971
SECRET PARIS BURIAL
Rock Star Dies
PARIS (UPI) - American rock star, Jim Morrison, 27, lead singer of “The Doors,” whos raw sexual on stage style made him an international star – and a defendant in an obscenity trial – died of a heart attack last Saturday and was buried secretly in a Paris cemetery, police reported today.
Police said Morrison was discovered unconscious in the bathroom of his chic apartment by Pamela Courson, 25, of Los Angeles, California, his companion for the past five years and regarded as his common law wife.
“Miss Courson said when Morrison awoke last Saturday, he was not feeling well,” a police spokeman said. “He asked her to get a bath ready and then entered the bathroom.
“Not hearing any noise, Miss Courson later opened the door to find Morrison lying unconscious in the bath.”
The officer at the precinct for the Fourth Arondissement, a fashionable district of Paris, said Morrison was dead when a police ambulance arrived at his apartment. He said a doctor later issued a certificate attributed the death to a heart attack.
A native of Melbourne, Florida, the son of Rear Admiral George S. Morrison, Jim formed “The Doors” in 1965 in Los Angeles.
END.
Rome News Tribune
July 9 1971
LEADING ‘ROCK’ SINGER DIES
LOS ANGELES (UPI) – Jim Morrison 27, lead singer of “The Doors” rock group famous for his outrageous stage appearances, died and was secretly buried in Paris, France, his manager and public relations firm said Thursday.
Bill Siddons, Morrison’s manager, said a funeral had already been conducted in France. He said the initial news of Morrison’s death was kept secret “to avoid all the notoriety and circus like atmosphere that surrounded the deaths of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.”
Morrison died Saturday of natural causes while sleeping, said a spokesman for Gershman, Gibson, and Stronger Public Relations.
END.
Sarasota Herald Tribune
July 10 1971
JAMS MORRISON, ROCK SINGER, DIES
PARIS (AP) - Sexual and insolent in black leather pants and open shirts, lead singer Jim Morrison of The Doors writhed and shook his shoulder length hair as he pounded out the hits.
Young audiences exploded when their “acid-evangelist of rock” cut loose with “Light My Fire” and the electronic musical accompaniment pulsated suggestively.
Called everything from the “ultimate Barbie doll” to “the most human, most warm, most understanding person,” Morrison died here last Saturday and was buried Wednesday in Pere Lachaise Cemetery.
His death at 27, was announced Friday in Los Angeles by his manager William Siddons and confirmed by U.S. Officials in the French capital. Siddons attended the funeral, and brought Morrison’s wife, Pamela, back to Los Angeles where The Doors first rose to prominence in 1967.
The singer’s lawyer, Max Fink said Morrison died in a Paris hospital of a heart attack, or pheumonia. Siddons added that on the day he died Morrison complained of respiratory trouble. The official listing did not say what he died of.
“Jim was buried in France in a simple ceremony with only a few friends present,” Siddons said.
“The initial news of his death and funeral was kept quiet because those of us who knew him as a person wanted to avoid to all the notoriety and circus like atmosphere that surrounded the deaths of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.”
Miss Joplin and Hendrix, both 27 and widely known rock stars, died within 16 days of each other last fall. Hendrix’ death in London was linked by authorities to barbiturate poisoning, Miss Joplin’s in a Hollywood motel to a drug overdose.
“He was the most human, most warm, most understanding person I’ve known,” Siddons said. “That wasn’t always the Jim Morrison that people read about. But it was I knew and his close friends will remember.”
Sources close to the singer said he had rented a house in Paris last March to write a movie screenplay following a tour of Europe and North Africa. Morrison had published a book of poems and was interested in films.
The images in his songs were full of poetry and terror. “The End,” an 11 ½ minute piece from the first album by The Doors, includes the lyrics: “Father? Yes son? I WANT TO KILL YOU. Mother I want to____” Morrison ended with a scream.
The Doors had two other albums which included such hits as “Strange,” Unknown Soldier,” “Hello I Love You Won’t You Tell Me Your Name,” and :Touch Me.”
Since late 1969 the group had been in a slump but recently had begun to regain popularity with the release of its latest album, “LA Woman.”
Morrison and The Doors first rose to fame in 1967 with the release of an eventual million copy seller, “Light My Fire.”
He was born in Melbourne, Florida, the son of Rear Admiral and Mrs. George S. Morrison and was a graduate of the University of California in Los Angeles. His parents, who now reside in Arlington, Virginia, said they had talked Thursday with relatives on the West Coast who had heard nothing unusual about their son.
“We knew he was in Paris but we haven’t heard from him since he arrived,” Mrs. Morrison said.
END.
The Times – UK
July 10 1971
Obituaries
Page 14
JIM MORRISON
Jim Morrison, whose death in Paris last Saturday was reported yesterday, lived much of his life like any dime novelist’s idea of a rock ‘n’ roll star. At his prime every performance was a ritual, a mock crucifixion enacted in skin tight black leather and reaching its climax with the scream of “We want the world and we want it now!”
Born 27 years ago in California, Morrison formed his band, The Doors, where he met organist Ray Manzarek in Italy in 1965. The following year they began playing in Los Angeles, and became one of the first of the American “New Wave” bands to catch on with the public. Their biggest hit single was “Light My Fire,” and their albums were consistent best sellers.
Morrison’s writing for the band often flirted with quasi literary imagery, and his stage appearances contained a strong element of theatre. The music itself was never as strong as the band’s collective imagination suggested: Morrison was in fact not a very good singer, and possessed a very limited technical and emotional range. It was his face, with its look of a fallen angel and his agonized bearing which drew him so many admirers.
Recently the band’s power waned drastically. Their appearance at last year’s Isle Of Wight Festival was a disappointment, and Morrison talked of returning to his first love, films.
archive.timesonline.co.uk/tol/vie....s-1971-07-10-14