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French police have recovered a bust of Jim Morrison, the iconic frontman of The Doors, 37 years after it was stolen from his gravesite. The bust, created in 1981 by Croatian artist Mladen Mikulin, marked the 10th anniversary of the singer’s death.
It had been a fixture at Morrison’s grave in Paris’s Père Lachaise Cemetery, a site that draws numerous visitors and is also the final resting place of other notable figures like Edith Piaf and Oscar Wilde. Over the years, the bust became covered in graffiti and messages left by fans.
The artwork vanished in 1988, seven years after its installation. Its rediscovery came during an unrelated investigation conducted by France’s Financial and Anti-Corruption Brigade. A representative for Morrison’s estate expressed relief at the news, acknowledging the bust’s historical significance and the family’s desire to see it returned to its rightful place.
Morrison, born in 1943, formed The Doors in 1965 with keyboardist Ray Manzarek. The band quickly rose to fame with hits like “Light My Fire,” “Hello, I Love You,” and “Riders on the Storm.”
However, Morrison’s struggles with alcoholism and increasingly erratic behavior, including a controversial Miami concert, contributed to the band’s eventual decline. Following the release of their final album, “L.A.
Woman,” in 1971, Morrison moved to Paris, where he died under mysterious circumstances later that year.