When did Jim go to Paris?

Jim traveled to France for the first time in the summer of 1970. He returned in March 1971 and died a few months later on July 3.

Born on December 8, 1943, Jim was 27 years old at the time of his death. Thus joining Hendrix, Joplin, Cobain, et al. in the 27 Club.

Why did Jim go to Paris?

What led up to Jim’s departure to Paris?

• Start with this excellent 2h podcast that covers milestones from the last year of Jim‘s life.
• Ben-Fong Torres interviewed Jim for Rolling Stone magazine in February 1971 in L.A. This interview offers an extraordinary glimpse into Jim’s state of mind just weeks before his departure to Paris:

What happened in Paris?

• Jim & I: Friends Until Death by Alain Ronay
• Interview with Gilles Yepremian by Alan Rourke (April 1994)
• Jim Morrison Complete Paris Guide by Rainer Moddemann
  This excellent guide includes the essay Jim Morrison’s Quiet Days In Paris and a poster of Jim in Paris. Available as an eBook in German. Hard copies are available in English (32 pages). Contact raimod@t-online.de for more information.
• The Last Days of Jim Morrison by Stephen Davis

How did Jim die?

The information provided here presents a brief introduction into the mystery surrounding Jim Morrison’s death.

Official version
The coroner’s report indicates the cause of death as heart failure (natural death), “arrêt cardiaque (mort naturelle)”. The address on the death certificate is 17, rue Beautreillis where Jim was renting an apartment with Pamela Courson. Read Pamela’s official statement (in French) given to French authorities.

Unofficial version

• According to Sam Bernett, manager of the of Rock ’n’ Roll Circus (now the WAGG), Jim Morrison died from a massive heroin overdose in the toilet of the aforementioned nightclub (Daily Mail, 2007). Bernett also discusses What Really Happened To Jim Morrison? on that fateful night in Classic Rock magazine (2010). Part 1 | Part 2
• Marianne Faithfull revealed recently in an interview that Jean de Breteuil, a friend of Jim and Pamela’s, admitted to her that he “provided the gear.” (Classic Rock Magazine, March 2011)

Further reading

• Can You Find Me Soft Asylum: A definitive reference guide to Jim Morrison’s final days 2004 © Jerome L. Wallerstein
• Lizard King: R.I.P.: The fireman who pronounced Jim Morrison dead remembers the rock legend (Maclean’s, August 2007)

Interview with Danny Sugarman, author of No One Here Gets Out Alive:

What happened the night Jim died?

After a call from Pam declaring “Jim’s unconscious and bleeding. Call an ambulance. You know I don’t speak French. Hurry up. I think he’s dying.”, Alain Ronay, Jim’s photographer friend, arrived at the scene accompanied by Agnès Varda. He recounts in Jim and I—Friends Until Death

Where is Jim buried?

Jim is buried in Père Lachaise cemetery, Division 6. Père Lachaise does not have an official website, but www.pere-lachaise.com has a limited interactive map and virtual tour. See also a visual history of Jim’s grave.

When was Jim buried?

Jim was buried on July 7. In attendance were Pamela Courson, Doors’ manager Bill Siddons, Jim’s friends, Agnès Varda and Alain Ronay, and Jim’s secretary, Robin Wertle. No autopsy was performed, therefore fueling speculation about how Jim really died to this day.

Who inherited Jim’s estate?

Jim Morrison designated Pamela S. Courson as his inheritor in his Will and Testament, dated 12 February, 1969.

Will Jim’s remains be exhumed?

No. Not convinced? Keep reading.

• French authorities first tried to exhume the singer’s body and have his tomb removed to another site, but discovered it has been leased in perpetuity. (The Telegraph, 2008)
• NPR’s Scott Simon takes note of recent comments by the man who runs the cemetery in Paris where the late rock singer Jim Morrison of The Doors is buried. The caretaker wants the tomb moved because of the many troublesome fans who come to pay their respects. (NPR, 2004)
• “It is totally unfounded,” said Henri Beaulieu, assistant director with Paris’ Central Cemetery Service, quoted by the Associated Press. “Jim Morrison isn’t moving.” About 1.5 million people visit the cemetery every year to see the famous graves. (CNN, 2001)

Did Jim record any music while in Paris?

Update 1 May 2013
Short answer: no. Long answer: see the truth behind the Lost Paris Tapes by The Doors Guide.

Site Update: A 40-YEAR MYSTERY SOLVED! thedoorsguide.com/news.html#2013…

— The Doors Guide (@TheDoorsGuide) May 1, 2013

Where can I find more information on the Doors?

• L.A. Woman Confidential by Ida Miller
• The Doors Examiner by Jim Cherry
• The Doors Guide by Len Sousa
• When You’re Strange (2010) Documentary film by Tom DiCillo
• Feast of Friends (1970) Documentary film by Paul Ferrara, Frank Lisciandro and Babe Hill
• No One Here Gets Out Alive (1980) Biography by Jerry Hopkins and Danny Sugerman