What really happened to The Doors frontman 50 years on from mysterious death in Paris – from heroin to cover-ups
ALONG with Elvis and John Lennon, Jim Morrison was a rock superstar who died far too young.
The frontman of The Doors thrilled the world with hits including LA Woman and Riders On the Storm was only 27 when his lifeless body was found in a Paris bathtub.
His official death certificate states that he died from “natural causes” after a night out in the French capital on July 3 1971.
But, exactly 50 years on, conspiracy theories as to what, or who, really killed him are abound.
Sun investigators have returned to the scene of Morrison’s alleged death, and the nightclub where he was said to have taken drugs, and have found indisputable evidence of a cover-up.
Body moved
“Jim Morrison Did Not Die Here” reads a prominent sign on the front of the apartment block on Rue Beautreillis, where – according to Paris Police records and a death certificate – the American did in fact end his days.
“The official line is not the right one,” said Sam Bernett, an old pal of the singer who is certain that Morrison died about two miles away from a heroin overdose.
It was in a toilet cubicle of what was then called the Rock ‘n’ Roll Circus – one managed by Sam, then aged 26, and frequented by other rock giants including The Beatles and Rolling Stones – that Morrison collapsed.
Two drug dealers then transferred his corpse to the third-floor apartment at Rue Beautreillis address, where Morrison lived with his girlfriend, Pamela Courson, 24.
Sam can remember watching Morrison drink a few beers and vodka shots in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Circus on the night of his death.
"He'd come in to pick up heroin," said Sam. "He was always collecting drugs for Pamela, and the club was full of dealers."
Morrison – who was known as the Lizard King because of his obsession with the creatures - bought the heroin from two men working for Jean de Breteuil, a young French playboy known as the ‘drug dealer to the stars’.
Multiple heroin deaths
Those also in the club included Mick Jagger’s ex-girlfriend, Marianne Faithfull, who was by now going out with De Breteuil.
But Marianne said she had decided not to hang out with De Breiteuil that night, because she could "intuitively feel trouble".
She later said heroin supplied by De Breiteuil was what really killed Morrison.
“I mean, I'm sure it was an accident,” said Marianne. “The smack was too strong and he died.
"Anyway, everybody connected to the death of the poor guy is dead now, except me.”
De Breiteuil himself died of an overdose in Tangier, Morocco, at the age of 22, just a few months later.
Then Pamela Courson died of the same cause in 1974, after she also had a brief relationship with De Breiteuil.
Even Max Vassille, the French doctor who wrote off Morrison's demise as "death from natural causes" is now dead.
Vassille’s report points out that the Doors singer had been suffering from a stomach ulcer and asthma attacks after moving from America earlier in the year.
He ruled that no autopsy was required, as detectives said there was “no evidence of foul play,” despite only carrying out a basic investigation.
Countless conspiracy theories
Morrison's official death report, which is available at Paris City Hall, has accordingly been used to play down countless conspiracy theories.
They range from security agency plots to theories that Morrison faked his own death to escape the trappings of fame.
Morrison was also mentally troubled by a criminal conviction handed down in Miami in 1970, after he indecently exposed himself during a concert.
This kind of judicial action by the authorities reflected a moral conservatism that hated the sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll example set by men like Morrison.
Beyond the basic death certificate, the lack of documentation about Morrison’s death is startling.
“Much of it is currently locked away because of official secrecy,” said a spokesman for France’s National Archive, confirming that the government of the day wanted to keep news about Morrison’s last day as low-key as possible.
Patrick Coutin, author of the book Jim Morrison and the Doors, said: "Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin had died just before, and there were numerous riots.
"The Minister of the Interior at the time, Raymond Marcellin, has no desire for new Rock ‘n’ Roll demonstrations in the middle of Paris."
A closed case
What was certain is that Morrison had joined the infamous 27 Club – a collection of rock legends who never reached their 28th birthday.
Morrison died exactly two years after Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones, 27, and months after the deaths of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, also 27.
According to French law, criminal cases cannot be reopened after 20 years have lapsed.
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However, civil law - as well as international law - may eventually provide an opportunity for investigators to re-open the case.
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As it is, there was not even an autopsy performed on Morrison, who was buried a few days after his death in the Père-Lachaise cemetery in Paris.
His grave is today a shrine for fans from all over the world, who turn up to pay tribute to the adored singer, and also to wonder how he ended up there.