Jim Morrison 1943 – 1971

Biography

Jim Morrison was born in Melbourne, Florida, the son of a naval officer, and studied film at UCLA before forming the Doors in Los Angeles in 1965 with Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, and John Densmore. As the band’s singer and lyricist, he became one of rock’s most magnetic frontmen, fronting hits such as Light My Fire, People Are Strange, and Riders on the Storm, and cultivating the wild Lizard King persona that both thrilled and scandalized audiences. He was also a poet, publishing volumes of verse and dreaming of a literary career beyond music. Increasingly troubled by alcohol and legal problems, he moved to Paris in 1971 to write. He died in Paris in 1971 at the age of twenty-seven and is buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery. His grave in Paris remains one of the most visited in Père Lachaise, drawing fans from around the world more than fifty years on.