Morrison, the lead singer of the rock band known for his partying lifestyle, died on July 2, 1971, at age 27 of heart failure in his bathtub in Paris, and his grave at Pere Lachaise cemetery remains a pilgrimage site for fans.
There was never an autopsy, giving rise to multiple conspiracy theories. The Pere Lachaise cemetery is also the final resting place of Marcel Proust, Gertrude Stein and Oscar Wilde.
"James Douglas Morrison, 1943-1971," reads a plaque on the gravestone erected in the 1990s by the singer-poet's father, who added a Greek phrase often interpreted as "true to his own spirit".
Band members Ray Manzarek, the keyboardist, and guitarist Robby Krieger, lit candles at the grave of Morrison, who was known by the nickname the "lizard king".
Fans of Morrison also paid homage at his grave by leaving flowers there. Some wore black T-shirts with a white drawing of Morrison's face and the words "40th anniversary."
There was never an autopsy, giving rise to multiple conspiracy theories. The Pere Lachaise cemetery is also the final resting place of Marcel Proust, Gertrude Stein and Oscar Wilde.
"James Douglas Morrison, 1943-1971," reads a plaque on the gravestone erected in the 1990s by the singer-poet's father, who added a Greek phrase often interpreted as "true to his own spirit".
Fans of Morrison also paid homage at his grave by leaving flowers there. Some wore black T-shirts with a white drawing of Morrison's face and the words "40th anniversary."
