Jim Morrison
James Douglas "Jim" Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer, songwriter and poet best remembered as the lead singer of The Doors. Morrison's early life was the semi-nomadic existence typical of military families. Jerry Hopkins recorded Morrison's brother, Andy, explaining that his parents had determined never to use physical corporal punishment such as spanking on their children. They instead instilled discipline and levied punishment by the military tradition known as dressing down. This consisted of yelling at and berating the children until they were reduced to tears and acknowledged their failings. Once Morrison graduated from UCLA, he broke off most contact with his family. By the time Morrison's music ascended to the top of the charts (in 1967) he had not been in communication with his family for more than a year and falsely claimed that his parents and siblings were dead (or claiming, as it has been widely misreported, that he was an only child). Jim' father was not supportive: One day, an acquaintance brought over a record thought to have Jim on the cover. The record was the Doors' self-titled debut. The young man played the record for Morrison's father and family. Upon hearing the record, Morrison's father wrote him a letter telling him "to give up any idea of singing or any connection with a music group because of what I consider to be a complete lack of talent in this direction." In a letter to the Florida Probation and Parole Commission District Office dated October 2, 1970, Morrison's father acknowledged the breakdown in family communications as the result of an argument over his assessment of his son's musical talents.
Jim Morrison came to be regarded as one of the most iconic and influential frontmen in rock music history. In the latter part of the 20th century he was one of the popular culture's most rebellious and oft-displayed icons, representing generational gap and youth counterculture.
Morrison developed an alcohol dependency. He died at the age of 27 in Paris, probably of an accidental heroin overdose. No autopsy was performed, and the exact cause of Morrison's death is still disputed. Jim Morrison's grave is located at Père Lachaise Cemetery in eastern Paris.
Morrison's common-law wife Courson stated that Morrison had died of an accidental heroin overdose, having snorted heroin which he had mistaken for cocaine. Probably, Morrison died of a hemorrhage after snorting Courson's heroin, and Courson nodded off instead of phoning for medical help, leaving Morrison alone and bleeding to death.
from: Jim Morrison, personal life, in: en.wikipedia