Gone Before Their Time - Jim Morrison

This is the sixth in a series of articles memorializing musicians who died before their time:

James Douglas Morrison, known as Jim Morrison, was born December 8, 1943. He was the lead singer of the band The Doors.
Jim was born in Melbourne, Florida. His father, George Morrison, was an admiral in the U.S. Navy. His mother was Clara Morrison. Jim had a sister who was born in 1947 and a brother who was born in 1948.

Jim attended St. Petersburg Junior College in Florida and then went on to Florida State University. In 1964 he attended UCLA. He earned an undergraduate degree at UCLA's film school and the Theater Arts department of the College of Fine Arts in 1965.

After graduating from college, Morrison and UCLA student Ray Manzarek became the first two members of The Doors. Not long after, drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger joined the band. The band took their name from the title of Aldous Huxley's  novel "The Doors of Perception."

Morrison wrote many of the songs for the band. He also co-wrote with fellow band member Robby Krieger. The two of them penned such hits as "Light My Fire", "Love Me Two Times", "Love Her Madly" and "Touch Me".

Many people believe Jim Morrison and Van Morrison are siblings. They are not. However, one night at the famous Whiskey a Go Go, Jim Morrison and the Doors teamed with Van Morrison and his band Them for a live rendition of Van's hit "Gloria."

The Doors went on to play for the Ed Sullivan Show. Sullivan wanted the band yo perform "People Are Strange" and "Light My Fire". Censors requested the band change the lyrics in "Light My Fire" from "Girl we couldn't get much higher" to "Girl we couldn't get much better"; changing what was obviously a reference to drugs in the original lyrics. After assuring to Sullivan that he'd make the change, he defied the censors by singing the original lyrics. Sullivan was so angered by this, he refused to shake hands with the band members and told them they'd never play on his show again. Morrison fired back with, "Who cares, we already did". In 1969, Morrison was cited for indecent exposure at a concert in Miami. In 2007, Florida Governor Charlie Crist suggested the possibility of a posthumous pardon for Morrison, which was announced as successful on Dec. 9, 2010.

Morrison died July 3, 1971, in Paris,  of a probable heroin overdose. This can't be completely confirmed because an autopsy was not performed. He was buried in Paris.