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Jim Morrison's bust was stolen from his grave 37 years ago. Police just found it

Jim Morrison's bust was stolen from his grave 37 years ago. Police just found it

The Age19-05-2025

Even without the bust, Morrison's grave is a magnet for fans.
Scrawls can be seen elsewhere in the cemetery pointing people in the right direction, often simply 'Jim' with an arrow. There is graffiti in multiple languages with messages such as 'Jim lives' or simply the names of The Doors songs.
Some fans push the boundaries by drinking, smoking or behaving rowdily, perhaps, in their minds, as the fast-living Morrison might have wanted.
Though Morrison is the star, Père-Lachaise, named for Louis XIV's priest, attracts fans of many other interred celebrities of yore.
For years, people kissed Wilde's tomb, leaving it covered in lipstick marks. But the makeup was damaging the stone, so after a deep cleaning, a barrier was erected to deter smoochers.
Visitors also like to rub the groin area of the bronze effigy of journalist Victor Noir in the belief that the act will bring fertility. As a result, that particular area of his likeness has a marked shine.
The cemetery, which has phased out the use of pesticides, is also a haven for foxes, owls and other fauna in the city.
Like much of Paris, the cemetery also carries the scent of history.
In 1871, the Commune, the revolutionary government that briefly ran Paris, made its last stand there. The French army lined up and executed more than 100 of the last remaining soldiers of the Commune in a place now known as the Communards' Wall.

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