It's a coup de théâtre the likes of which only Paris can offer. The bust of Jim Morrison, stolen in 1988 from his grave at Père-Lachaise cemetery in the 10th arrondissement, has been found by chance, 37 years later. The announcement was made this weekend by the Paris Prefecture of Police on its social networks.
The imposing bronze sculpture, created by Croatian artist Mladen Mikulin, was installed in 1981 to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Doors leader's death. Over time, it became a veritable place of pilgrimage, covered in graffiti, messages and tributes from fans from all over the world.
His disappearance in May 1988 left a void and an unsolved mystery... until now. The bust was discovered by chance during a raid on a fraud case by the financial and anti-corruption squad of the Paris Judicial Police. An unexpected find, with no apparent link to the singer or his grave, as reported in Le Parisien.
The authorities did not specify the location of the find, but were delighted to have recovered this emblematic symbol of the Morrisonian cult.
Jim Morrison died in Paris in July 1971, aged 27. Officially dead of heart failure, he is buried in Père-Lachaise, where his tomb still attracts as many visitors as ever. The mystery of the bust, however, has finally been solved.
