Relationships

Jim Morrison and Pamela Courson

Jim Morrison’s roller coaster romance with long-time girlfriend Pamela Courson ranks among the most torrid in rock history, reading like a modern Shakespearean tragedy: two people madly in love crash and burn on the road to illumination. A turbulent relationship of spectacular highs and lows, Jim and Pam’s demise is a cautionary tale of unchecked hedonism and excess.

Despite the turmoil, Courson was Morrison’s self-described soul mate. Although Morrison slept with many women, Pamela would always be his girl. Throughout Morrison’s music career, she was his creative muse. Inspired, Morrison cranked out hits like “Love Street,” along with “Blue Sunday” and “Orange County Suite.”

Morrison met Pamela while playing at the London Fog on the Sunset Strip. At the time, Pamela was an art student at Los Angeles City College. They met before Morrison attained wealth and fame. A nurturing presence in Morrison’s life, Pamela encouraged him to work on his poetry. Clearly, her support resonated inside him. Sometimes, when the band was on the road, Morrison would stop the car just to call Pam from a payphone so he could recite new lines of poetry to her.

Morrison funded Pamela’s short-lived Los Angeles boutique, Themis. The store featured rare, fashionable clothes from around the world, including Morocco.

Despite the mutual adoration, the relationship was stormy, with loud arguments and fits of jealousy over their open relationship. Occasionally, the fights turned violent, with an enraged Pamela throwing plates and cups at Morrison. The rock star allegedly joked, “That chick has one hell of an arm.” Breakups and long periods of total separation were common.

Another of Morrison’s significant lovers was rock critic Patricia Kennealy. In June 1970 they exchanged marriage vows in a Celtic ceremony, signing a document declaring them wed before witnesses. Their marriage was never legally recognized.

The heart of Morrison’s biography is not how he lived but how he died. His strange death stunned the music world and continues to haunt fans today.

 Burdened by legal issues in the states, Morrison flew to Paris with Pamela in March 1971. The trip served as a reprieve from the pressures of stardom.

After years touring, recording and performing in the public spotlight, Morrison simply hit burn out. Paris was supposed to be his spiritual cocoon, a creative womb where he could detox in silence. Initially, the change of scenery was therapeutic. Morrison watched films, wrote poetry, wandered the streets, and gazed at the Parisian architecture.

On July 3, 1971 Pamela found Morrison dead in a bathtub with a smile on his face. Especially disturbing was the news delay; the public did not find out until three days after Morrison’s death.

Conspiracy theorists continue to question the truth. The fact that medical authorities conducted no autopsy only adds fuel to the suspicion. In addition, Morrison’s own band mates and parents were prevented from seeing the body. The French medical examiner, Max Vasille, listed “heart failure” as the cause of death. Curiously, Morrison’s personal physician, Dr. Derwin, told the press: “Jim Morrison was in excellent health before travelling to Paris.”

The popular perception of Morrison’s death: he mistook Pamela’s heroin stash for cocaine and overdosed. Morrison’s former UCLA classmate, Alain Ronay, was one of the few people who saw the body.

Pamela Courson inherited Morrison’s estate. Three years later, she died of a heroin overdose in Los Angeles, leaving her parents as heirs.

Family

Morrison’s relationship with his family was strained. The tension erupted after George Morrison wrote him a letter asking him "to give up any idea of singing or any connection with a music group because of what I considered to be a complete lack of talent in this direction.”

Morrison abruptly cut off most contact with his family. When his mother and brother later attended a concert to watch him perform, Morrison simply ignored them.