The Doors guitarist Robby Krieger has opened up about the band’s initial disbelief regarding Jim Morrison’s death and the conspiracy theories that followed. He shared his thoughts during an appearance on The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan.
Krieger revealed the band’s skeptical reaction to news of Morrison’s passing. He explained why doubts persisted among the surviving members.
“When we heard that he was gone, we didn’t believe it,” Krieger said. “For one thing, there were all these rumors about ‘Paul [McCartney] is dead,’ and blah, blah, blah.”
The guitarist detailed the steps the band took to verify Morrison’s death. He explained why uncertainty remained.
“So we sent our manager, Bill Siddons, over to France, to Paris, to check it out,” he continued. “And, unfortunately, he never saw the body. So we were still thinking, Maybe he really is just trying to fool everybody. But after a while, it sank in.”
Krieger also addressed the band’s decision to continue recording after Morrison’s death. He explained their collaboration with Elektra Records.
“When Jim had gone to Paris, we had continued to practice and play almost every day,” he said. “And we had come up with a whole bunch of new songs that were going to be on the next album. If Jim liked them.”
He described the label’s support for continuing The Doors’ musical legacy despite Morrison’s absence.
“Elektra Records [and label CEO] Jack Holzman was really cool about the whole thing,” Krieger noted. “And he says, ‘Why don’t you guys put out another record? Everybody’s gonna miss Jim, and everything.’ So he says, ‘Yeah, let’s do them, let’s keep it going.'”
The guitarist acknowledged the challenges of moving forward without the band’s iconic frontman. He expressed pride in their post-Morrison work.
“We did have reservations,” he admitted. “I mean, it’s like the Stones going on without Mick Jagger, or something like that. Maybe it was a stupid idea. I don’t know. But I really love some of those songs that are on those albums.”
Krieger’s revelations shed new light on the enduring mystery surrounding Morrison’s death. The mystery has captivated fans and conspiracy theorists for decades.
The circumstances of Morrison’s death on July 3, 1971, have long fueled speculation and doubt. Performing Songwriter reported that several eyewitnesses, including Marianne Faithfull, claimed that Morrison’s death was due to an accidental heroin overdose. No autopsy was ever performed. This absence of a medical examination became a crucial factor in the conspiracy theories that followed.
The lack of concrete evidence extended beyond the missing autopsy. Wikipedia documented that Morrison was found dead in a bathtub in Paris. The absence of an autopsy and conflicting reports left many questions unanswered. When The Doors’ manager Bill Siddons arrived days later, he found only a sealed coffin and the death certificate. This underscored the mystery since only a few close acquaintances had actually seen Morrison’s body.
Morrison’s death also contributed to a darker pattern in rock history. Wikipedia noted that Morrison’s death coincided with the emergence of the “27 Club” urban legend. He died at age 27, two years after Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones and within months of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin’s deaths. All were iconic musicians who passed at the same age during that era. This created an eerie pattern that added to the mystique surrounding their deaths.
These historical factors help explain why Krieger and his bandmates struggled to accept Morrison’s death at face value. The combination of no autopsy, limited witnesses, and the broader context of young rock stars dying under mysterious circumstances created fertile ground for the conspiracy theories that persist today.
