# Whatever happened to Admiral Morrison (Father of Doors singer) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 28, 2001, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-admiral-morrison-father-of-doors-singer/78552 "2001-08-28T17:14:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-admiral-morrison-father-of-doors-singer/78552/1 "2001-08-28T17:14:20Z")
According to the Doors bio _No One Here Gets Out Alive_, Jim Morrison’s naval officer father made the rank of Rear Admiral just around the time the band’s career was taking off. Did he ever make full admiral? Was he frozen out by the higher brass because of his son’s involvement in a “subversive” rock group? ---
**Author:** ![whatisnaughty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bc79bd/32.png) [@whatisnaughty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whatisnaughty)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-admiral-morrison-father-of-doors-singer/78552/2 "2001-08-28T18:58:23Z")
Hmm. Good question. I usually keep some of my Doors books in my desk drawer, but they’re at home. I’ve actually not heard very much about his father. Sorry I don’t have an answer for you, but if I come across one, I’ll let you know. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![evilhanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba8739/32.png) [@evilhanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilhanz)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-admiral-morrison-father-of-doors-singer/78552/3 "2001-08-28T21:26:45Z")
Jim Morrison’s father, “Admiral Morrison” retired form the US Navy in 1975. There was a write up in the New York Times including an interview with Clara Morrison. I don’t have access to the original article to tell you whether or not “admiral” was short-hand for “rear admiral”. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2001, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-admiral-morrison-father-of-doors-singer/78552/4 "2001-08-29T12:09:30Z")
A woman I carpooled with when I worked in DC had been his secretary. She said that she was instructed never to mention Jim around her Dad - the rift was that deep. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2001, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-admiral-morrison-father-of-doors-singer/78552/5 "2001-08-29T12:10:52Z")
that should be “his” dad, naturally. Too early for this - no caffiene. ---
**Author:** ![bdgr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@bdgr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bdgr)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2001, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-admiral-morrison-father-of-doors-singer/78552/6 "2001-08-29T13:07:06Z")
It didnt, however, stop him from trying to get his sons money after he died ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2001, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-admiral-morrison-father-of-doors-singer/78552/7 "2001-08-29T15:23:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by plnnr \* > \*\*that should be “his” dad, naturally. Too early for this - no caffiene. \*\* Given the often rancorous generational divide of that era, I’m sure there were a LOT of dads around you couldn’t mention Jim Morrison to. Just to give an example, when Jimi Hendrix died, my dad showed up at the breakfast table with a scowl on his face, full of contempt for and anger with the hippie generation, and it was like he was demanding an explanation from me! I was only about 12 and barely knew who Jimi Hendrix was. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2001, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-admiral-morrison-father-of-doors-singer/78552/8 "2001-08-29T15:26:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by evilhanz \* > \*\*Jim Morrison’s father, “Admiral Morrison” retired form the US Navy in 1975. There was a write up in the New York Times including an interview with Clara Morrison. I don’t have access to the original article to tell you whether or not “admiral” was short-hand for “rear admiral”. \*\* IIRC, “Rear Admiral” is the navy equivalent of “Brigadier General” in the army. I think it’s correct to refer to a Brigadier General as simply General, so presumably the same would apply to admirals. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2001, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-admiral-morrison-father-of-doors-singer/78552/9 "2001-08-29T17:10:20Z")
Never mind about the Dad, I wanna know more about the Old Weird Indian in the Oliver Stone movie. He rocked! ---
**Author:** ![GENE\_STONER](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/2bfe46/32.png) [@GENE\_STONER](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GENE_STONER)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2001, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-admiral-morrison-father-of-doors-singer/78552/10 "2001-08-30T02:34:11Z")
I read somewhere that Morrison left his money and the rights to his songs to his girlfriend, Pamela Courson. She died in the 70’s, I believe of a drug overdose. The article mentioned that Courson’s parents inherited the rights to Morrisons work. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2001, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-admiral-morrison-father-of-doors-singer/78552/11 "2001-08-30T04:14:37Z")
Pamela Courson was Jim Morrison’s wife, not his girlfriend. She inherited the rights to his songs. I thought that I read that when she died (about three years after he did), the rights to Morrison’s songs went jointly to Morrison’s and Courson’s parents. ---
**Author:** ![bdgr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@bdgr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bdgr)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2001, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-admiral-morrison-father-of-doors-singer/78552/12 "2001-08-30T04:28:55Z")
Morrisons parents fought her over the estate, and IIRC she wound up as a prostitute for a while during the legal battle, since she couldnt get the money.