Fifty years ago in New Orleans, Jim Morrison snuffed out the Lizard King once and for all.

On Dec. 12, 1970, at the fabled Warehouse concert hall on Tchoupitoulas Street, the Doors played what turned out to be the band’s final concert with Morrison. It was, in short, a mess, courtesy of the drunk and disillusioned singer.

JIM MORRISON'S LEGENDARY BAND STAGED THEIR FINAL SHOW 26 YEARS AGO

Ray Manzarek remembers The Doors’ last concert well. It was the night singer Jim Morrison’s spirit left his body—though it would return to linger for another few months. The date was December 12, 1970; The Doors were playing a large, dank waterfront venue in New Orleans. Hunched over his keyboard, Manzarek says, he felt Morrison ”leave the stage”—but Morrison’s body was standing stock-still in front of the microphone.

When Jim Morrison approached the microphone on December 12th, 1970, there was already a commotion. For years, Morrison enthralled crowds with some of the most powerful and wild antics that rock audiences had ever seen. As the self-appointed Lizard King, Morrison cavorted and careened across the stage, leaving audiences in fits of hysterics.