Shocking act of rock vandalism is SOLVED after 37 years

By ADAM S. LEVY FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

Published: 15:21 BST, 20 May 2025 | Updated: 15:23 BST, 20 May 2025

This is The End – of a 37-year search. 

That’s what authorities in Paris were saying Monday after they recovered a bust statue of late rock icon Jim Morrison which had been missing since 1988.

The bust of The Doors front man – which was first declared missing from a Paris cemetery – was recovered Monday by investigators assigned to a fraud case, a source told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The statue was initially crafted by Croatian artist Mladen Mikulin in 1981, commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Light My Fire singer’s mysterious 1971  passing at the age of 27.

Authorities working under finance and anti-corruption probes were the ones to recover the statue, which had been missing for 37 years, officials said.

The grave of the iconic rock star – who sang classics such as Light My Fire, Touch Me, Roadhouse Blues, and Riders on the Storm –  remains an attraction for rock fans following Morrison’s 1971 passing.

A statue of late rock icon Jim Morrison was recovered after being missing for nearly 40 years.

The statue was initially crafted by Croatian artist Mladen Mikulin in 1981, commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Light My Fire singer’s mysterious passing at the age of 27 

Morrison’s death has never been clearly defined, as early reports placed him in a bathtub after suffering a heart attack.

French journalist Sam Bernett said in his 2007 book The End: Jim Morrison that the account was a muted version to protect the legacy of the musical artist, the AFP reported.

Bernett said that Morrison fatally overdosed on heroin at his former Paris nightclub Rock ‘n’ Roll Circus.

Morrison was in the bathroom of the venue, which was on the Left Bank in Paris.

‘The flamboyant singer of ‘The Doors,’ the beautiful California boy, had become an inert lump crumpled in the toilet of a nightclub,’ Bernett said in the book. 

Bernett said of Morrison to People in 2021: ‘He had his head between his legs. He had white fluid around the lips and the nose, and his eyes were closed. I saw that something was very wrong.’ 

Commenters on The Doors subreddit had varied opinions about the recovered bust – which has graffiti on it – and what should be done with it moving forward.

‘Looks rough. Wonder what the chances are of cleaning it up, or restoring it somehow,’ one user said.

Morrison’s death has never been clearly defined, as early reports placed him in a bathtub after suffering a heart attack 

The statue was initially crafted by Croatian artist Mladen Mikulin in 1981, commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Light My Fire singer’s mysterious passing at the age of 27. Pictured in 1967

Commenters on The Doors subreddit had varied opinions about the recovered bust – which has graffiti on it – and what should be done with it moving forward 

Another person said that the bust remains ‘iconic just like it is,’ to which another user joked, ‘Grab a Sharpie, then.’

One user noted that ‘so much Doors history is happening this year in particular,’ adding that ‘it’s finally nice to get some news that isn’t something depressing for a change.

Among the factors they mentioned included the recovery of the bust; a December blaze of a downtown L.A. structure known as the Morrison Hotel.

Also mentioned was the April 1 death of actor Val Kilmer, who played Morrison in the 1991 movie from Oliver Stone, The Doors.

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Shocking act of rock vandalism is SOLVED after 37 years

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