French police discover long-lost grave bust of The Doors frontman Jim Morrison

Los Angeles/Paris:  Nearly four decades after it vanished from the grave of 'The Doors' frontman Jim Morrison, a long-missing marble bust of the late singer has been recovered by French police,  reports Dynamite News correspondent.

The sculpture, crafted by Croatian artist Mladen Mikulin, was originally placed atop Morrison’s tomb in Paris’ famed Père Lachaise Cemetery on 3 July 1981 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of his death. It was stolen in 1988, and has been missing ever since—until now.

French authorities reportedly stumbled upon the piece while investigating an unrelated fraud case, according to a source quoted by Agence France-Presse.
No suspects have been named, and details surrounding the recovery remain scarce.

A police-released image of the bust shows it in a damaged state—its mouth and nose missing, as they were even before the theft.

It remains unclear whether the bust will return to Morrison’s grave. “The police haven’t contacted us, so I don’t know whether the bust will be returned to us,” the cemetery’s curator told Le Figaro, reports BBC.

A representative for the Morrison estate told Rolling Stone they were “happy to hear the news” and called the statue a “piece of history.” Morrison’s family, they added, had always hoped the sculpture would remain at the grave.

Père Lachaise, which also houses the graves of Oscar Wilde and Edith Piaf, has become a pilgrimage site for The Doors fans. Morrison’s grave is particularly visited —surrounded by graffiti, candles, and messages left by devotees from around the world.

Whether the recovered sculpture will once again overlook the singer’s resting place is yet to be decided. But for now, a key piece of The Doors’ storied legacy has returned to light.

Known for their poetic lyrics, dark mysticism, and psychedelic sound, The Doors burst onto the scene with their self-titled debut in 1967 and released a string of critically acclaimed albums in rapid succession, before Morrison’s untimely death in 1971 at the age of 27. The singer’s turbulent life and death have long fed his enduring mythos.

The band continued to record material for a few years after Morrison’s passing, before disbanding in 1973. The group later reunited in 1978 to release their last album ‘An American Prayer’ which used Morrison’s unused spoken word material and vocals.

The psychedelic rock legends are widely regarded as one of the all-time greatest and most successful bands in history, cementing their position as classic rock pioneers alongside their peers such as The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, The Who, and Creedence Clearwater Revival, among others.