Why Ray Manzarek Thought The Doors Frontman Jim Morrison Faked His Own Death
- by Sam Kemp
More than 50 years after that fateful day in 1971, the death of Jim Morrison is still the source of speculation. Even today, those closest to him remain unconvinced that the singer died of an overdose, and with no autopsy to back up these reports, you can’t blame them.
The Doors’ keyboardist, Ray Manzarek, was just one of the people who believed Jim Morrison may have met a very different end.
Until his death in 2013, Manzarek held on to the possibility that his former bandmate actually faked his death at the age of 27 in order to escape the pressures of fame.
At the time of his death, Morrison was living in Paris, having been forced to leave the US after being convicted of indecent exposure following a 1969 Miami concert. The Doors guitarist, Robby Kreiger, wasn’t so convinced by Manzarak’s claims, however, as he told Classic Rock magazine: “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?’ That was pretty much bullshit”.
