‘Not the end’: fans of The Doors flock to Paris to mark 50 years since Jim Morrison’s death
- Dozens of fans of the singer, who died in 1971 in Paris of a heart attack, turned up at Morrison’s grave in Pere Lachaise cemetery
- Previous events have been uproarious celebrations, but this time coronavirus restrictions meant a more sombre affair
Fans of Jim Morrison and The Doors gathered at a stylishly overgrown cemetery in Paris on Saturday, marking 50 years since the death of 1960s icon Jim Morrison.
Dozens of fans of the frontman, who moved from the United States to the French capital in early 1971 – and died soon afterwards of a heart attack – flocked to Morrison’s grave in an overcrowded corner of Pere Lachaise cemetery.
“It’s important because the music lives on … it’s like the music is alive today, like Light My Fire was recorded last week,” said Michelle Campbell, a fan from England, recalling the band’s greatest hit.
“I like his vision of life,” said French music student Marius de la Brosse. “He was a guy who never had a home, who travelled with dollars in his pocket and just wandered around.”
Some read poetry, others left messages close to the grave – one had a lipstick kiss imprint with “one more time” written on it, a reference to the 1968 song Five-To-One where Morrison urged youth rebellion.
The restrictions put in place to combat the spread of the coronavirus meant many fans could not make it.
“English fans could not come, we are sorry because we’ve known them for about 20 years,” said Catherine Dalancon, the organiser of the commemoration.