Jim Morrison Michael Montfort/Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images
Jim Morrison’s brother, Andy Morrison, gave a rare interview about the late Doors frontman in the new docuseries Before the End: Searching for Jim Morrison.
While theories have abounded in the years since the rocker was found dead in 1971, Andy gave a simple explanation for his brother’s death.
“His lifestyle [killed him]. Obviously, he drank too much,” Andy said in the series. “I think by that time he was overweight and, you know, if you’re not in good health and you drink too much and dabble in some drugs, it’s not that hard to do.”
Jim’s body was found on July 3, 1971, in the bathtub of a Paris apartment rented by his then-girlfriend, Pamela Courson. His official cause of death was listed as heart failure, but no autopsy was ever performed as it was not required by French law.
The new docuseries explores the conspiracy theory, long-held by some Doors fans, that Jim faked his own death in order to escape the pressure of leading a world-famous rock band.
At the very least, Jim left the United States for Paris in order to take a breather from the Doors after the band finished their album L.A. Woman.
“I think he actually wanted to get back into some serious writing. And maybe he’d outgrown the Doors thing, had been enough,” Andy said in Before the End. “Whether he was 100 percent done, I think not. I think he just needed a break.”
Several years ago, Doors guitarist Robby Krieger discounted theories that his former bandmate was still alive somewhere, in part because he doesn’t think Jim could have truly left music behind.
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“When he went to Paris, supposedly to get away from everything, all he did was jump up onstage with these flipping house bands, get drunk and sing,” Krieger, 79, told People in 2021. “He couldn’t stop himself from doing that. That’s why I know he’s dead. Because if he was alive, he’d be up on stage somewhere.”
Krieger also didn’t like that Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek occasionally fueled the flames by hinting that Jim might still be alive. (Manzarek died in 2013 at age 74.)
“I used to love talking to Ray, and he would always say: ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if Jim turned up.’ And I used to think: ‘Come on, man, you don’t really believe that, do you?’” Krieger told Classic Rock magazine in 2020. “That was pretty much bulls—. Yeah, he didn’t have to do that.”
