Video: 'Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger at Jim Morrison's Grave on 3rd July 2011 - Père Lachaise'
(Wednesday, July 7, 1971, 8:30 a.m. Central European Time) — Singer, poet Jim Morrison, frontman for the rock music group The Doors, was buried today at Père Lachaise Cemetery, in the 6th Division, 2nd Row, Grave No.5, on the east side of Paris, France.
A small funeral procession consisted of Morrison’s girlfriend, Pamela Courson, The Doors’ manager, Bill Siddons, Belgian-born France-based film director Agnes Varda, photographer friend Alan Ronay and Morrison’s Parisian secretary Robin Wertle.
Courson said that Morrison had wished to have a few verses spoken at his funeral, so she said a few words in a subdued voice, which nobody present understood. Everybody threw some flowers on the coffin and said their goodbyes.
The next day, Siddons returned to Los Angeles and immediately drove down to The Doors office, and met with Doors’ guitarist Robby Krieger and keyboardist Ray Manzarek there.
“We have buried Jim”, he told the stunned musicians. Manzarek could not believe it.
“Did you see the body? How did Jim look?” he wanted to know. When Siddons thereupon explained that he had only seen the sealed coffin, but not Jim’s body, Manzarek became agitated.
“How can you be so sure about it? How do you know whether Jim is really inside that coffin?” “I hadn’t really thought about asking the question, whether I could see Jim one more time,” Siddons answered. “Besides, Pamela was totally distraught…”.
Despondently, the Manzarek, Krieger and drummer John Densmore went back to their studio on the ground floor of the office, to continue working on the new songs for the group’s next studio album.
Morrison, 27, had died Saturday, July 3, 1971. The official cause of death was listed as heart failure, although no autopsy was performed, as it was not required by French law. It has also been reported, by several individuals who say they were eyewitnesses, that his death was due to an accidental heroin overdose.
Morrison’s death was officially announced at around midnight PDT on July 8/9, 1971.
