Poet , songwriter and leading singer for seminal rock-and-roll group The room access , Jim Morrisoncrammed a lot of living into 27 yr . Here are five things you may not have known about him .
1. He Had an IQ of 149
Morrison was a rapacious proofreader from a young age , favor philosophy , poetry and even book on 16th - C demonology . His musical abilities wereunknown to his mellow - school day schoolmate , who believed the existent succeeding hotshot would be fellow student Ellen Cohen . ( She later became Cass Elliott of the singing chemical group The Mamas and the Papas . ) Morrison fine-tune from UCLA ’s picture show schooltime with a degree in theater prowess .
2. Van Morrison Taught Him Everything He Knew
While at UCLA , Jim Morrisonmet Ray Manzarek , a fellow flick student and keyboard actor and they formed what became known as the Doors in 1965 . The name came from an Aldous Huxley book called " The Doors of Perception . " The other two member were guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore . In Densmore ’s record " Riders on the violent storm , " he wrote about the group curtain raising for Van Morrison ’s band , Them , at the Whiskey A - Go - Go in 1966 , and how Morrison picked up a matter or two . " Jim Morrison learned apace from his nigh - namesake ’s stagecraft , " wrote Densmore , " his patent foolhardiness , his air of low-key threat , the way he would extemporize poetry to a rock beat , even his habit of hunker down down . "
3. He Was Banned from “The Ed Sullivan Show”
It did n’t take long for fame to issue forth rap . By 1967 , the Doors had a No . 1 strike with " Light My Fire , " and an upcoming appearance on the biggest variety show on American tv set at the meter , " The Ed Sullivan Show . " A few minutes before drape time , one of the producer ask the band to change a lyric poem from " Light my Fire " — " Girl , we could n’t get much high " — to " Girl , we could n’t get much better , " because the former could be a reference work to drug ( you think ? ) . The band agreed to the change , but after the producer leave , Morrison tell his pal , " We ’re not switch a news . " And that ’s what pass . Ed Sullivan was furious and after the band ’s operation , rather than shake up their manus , he start straight to commercial message . The show’sproducer told the band , " Mr. Sullivan wanted you for six more shows , but you ’ll never make for ' The Ed Sullivan Show ' again . " Ironically , the doorway ' single visual aspect paved the way for the variety show to set out book grittier number .
4. “Riders on the Storm” Was Inspired by a Serial Killer
The Doors ' last record album , " L.A. Woman , " caused theirlong - time producer to drop out , promise the half - finish stuff he heard " cocktail euphony . " Nevertheless , this record album went on to stop such Doors classics as " lie with Her Madly , " the championship cut and " rider on the tempest . " Although a lot of the latter tune was inspired by Morrison ’s kinship with long - time girlfriend Pamela Courson , the most memorable verse ( which starts " There ’s a killer on the route " ) came from a screenplay he wrote about substantial - life consecutive orca Billy Cook , who dispatch six people ( including a family ) while thumb to California .
5. He is a Charter Member of the 27 Club
Morrison died of a drug overdose in 1971 in a bath in Paris at the eld of 27 . It was just a yr after fellow rock icons Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin died , also at 27 add them all to the27 Club . He was bury in thePère Lachaise Cemeteryin Paris , rest place of other famous figures like Edith Piaf , Colette and Oscar Wilde . Morrison ’s grave has been vandalized for age by zealous fan leaving graffito and chewing gingiva and stealing souvenir . Yet at the same time , there ’s been a persistent myth that the sway star faked his own destruction and is living somewhere in privacy . Even in 2016 , a camera operator wasposting clips on YouTubeclaiming that he had lecture with " Jim Morrison , " who was supposedly living in New York .
