PARIS -- Jim Morrison, lead singer of "The Doors," whose raw sexual onstage style made him an international star -- and a defendant in an obscenity trial -- died last week and was buried in Paris, the American Embassy said today. He was 27. Police said Morrison became ill last Saturday while taking a bath at the home of a girl friend. He was pronounced dead by a physician of an apparent heart attack.
The embassy said Morrison was buried Wednesday in a private ceremony at one of the oldest cemeteries in the city, Pere Lachaise. The service was attended by only a few close friends. A record industry spokesman said Morrison was in Paris writing a book.
Bill Siddons, Morrison's manager, said in Los Angeles that the initial news of the singer's death was kept secret "to avoid the notoriety and circus-like atmosphere that surrounded the deaths of such other rock personalities as Janis Joplin and Jim Hendrix."
Siddons said he arrived in Los Angeles from Paris Thursday night. Although Morrison and "The Doors" achieved widespread acclaim in rock music circles through their hard-hitting sound, Morrison was in the headlines several times because of his stage antics which caused the group to be banned in several U.S. cities.
He was arrested a few years ago in Miami for using obscene language and exposing himself during a concert. He was convicted last October, fined $500 and sentenced to six months in jail. He was free on $50,000 bail pending an appeal at the time of his death.
Morrison's Miami appearance sparked teenagers there to counter with a "Rally for Decency" which the organizers felt would show that the majority of young people do not subscribe to Morrison's attitudes.
A native of Melbourne, Fla., the son of Rear Adm. George S. Morrison, Jim formed ''The Doors" in 1965 in Los Angeles.
The group went to the top of the charts with " Break On Through" and followed shortly after with the song that made them one of the top rock acts in the nation, "Light My Fire."
Their latest song was "Riders on the Storm."
Siddons said Morrison had been in Paris with his wife Pamela since March.
He said the singer "had seen a doctor in Paris about a respiratory problem and had complained of this problem on Saturday, the day of his death."
He said Morrison was buried ''in a simple ceremony with only a few friends present."
