French Police Recover Bust From Jim Morrison’s Grave, 37 Years After It Was Stolen

Close to four decades after it was lifted from the grave site of The Doors‘ late frontman Jim Morrison, a bust of his likeness has been recovered by French police.

The sculpture, created by Croatian artist Mladen Mikulin, was placed on Morrison’s grave in Paris’ Père Lachaise Cemetery to mark the tenth anniversary of his passing, on July 3, 1981. 

However, the bust was stolen seven years later, in May 1988, with Vanity Fair noting that two individuals were reported to have taken the statue after being locked in the cemetery overnight.

After years of rumor and innuendo surrounding its fate, Parisian police have now announced the bust has been recovered, with its rediscovery occurring during a search related to a fraud case. No further details regarding its whereabouts for the past 37 years have been announced, nor has word been shared as to whether it will return to its original location atop Morrison’s grave.

Morrison rose to fame throughout the ’60s as the frontman for Los Angeles-based rock outfit The Doors, with the group releasing six critically-acclaimed albums in just over four years. 

Their self-titled 1967 debut peaked atop the Billboard 200 and spawned the Hot 100-topping single “Light My Fire,” with every one of their albums released during Morrison’s lifetime reached the top ten. 1968’s Waiting for the Sun became their only record to top the Billboard 200, with its accompanying single, “Hello, I Love You,” becoming their second to peak atop the Hot 100.

Morrison would pass away in Paris on July 3, 1971 under murky circumstances at the age of 27. He was buried at the city’s Père Lachaise Cemetery where his grave site swiftly became one of the world’s most-visited memorials of a late musician. 

In February, it was announced that the Paris City Council had decided to name a footbridge overlooking Bassin de l’Arsenal in Morrison’s honor. Just weeks earlier, it was reported that the former Morrison Hotel, made famous by The Doors and their 1970 album of the same name, was significantly damaged by a fire that erupted in downtown Los Angeles.