The Bizarre Story of What Happened to Gram Parsons Body After He Died

Some of the earliest and also best marital relationships of country music and rock came before Gram Parsons' unexpected death at age 26. Billed as if it dropped from external area, Parson's songs mixed his Waycross, Georgia upbringing with the impact of Laurel Canyon's psychedelic and folk-rock sounds.

He really started pursuing country songs while participating in Harvard when he created his very first band, The International Submarine Band. This was around the time Parsons satisfied rock & roll king Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, showing him country songs and also forming a relationship that would certainly last until his death. He invested much of his time partying with Richards and the Stones making his songs underperform, consisting of the last Flying Burrito Brothers album, Burrito Deluxe.

The events complying with Parson's Sept. 19, 1973 passing are virtually as fabulous as his increase to cult status, as a race to control his final relaxing area led to one of the most unusual and also well known criminal offenses in preferred music history. His last solo album launched posthumously, Grievous Angel, with the help of buddy and also duet companion Emmylou Harris (their group Gram Parsons as well as the Fallen Angels also released an album) lives on in country-rock history with extraordinary tracks like "Love Hurts".

The "Honky Tonk Women" and "Brass Buttons" vocalist had stated in the existence of roadway manager Phil Kaufman as well as others that rather than a church funeral service, he would certainly choose having his ashes scattered in California at Joshua Tree National Park. Ben Fong-Torres, writer of Hickory Wind: The Life and Times of Gram Parsons, suggests that Parsons made this deal with buddies at the funeral of fellow country-leaning Byrds alum Clarence White.

Parsons passed away in the location from a reported overdose, with his body found in space 8 of the Joshua Tree Inn. Logistically speaking, following up with Parson's wishes ought to have been easy sufficient.

Meanwhile, Parsons' adopted father Bob prepared an appropriate funeral service in Louisiana. Rumors linger that the senior Parsons was worried about state inheritance laws that preferred the closest living male loved one.

Kaufman and his aide Michael Murphy's service to the Bob Parsons issue was straightforward. They needed to take their pal's body before it was flown from California to Louisiana.

Kaufman and Martin after that drove out to the Joshua Tree desert with the casket and a canister of gas. The park's ban ablaze confirmed to be the imperfection in the near-perfect crime. Campers found the smoke and also reported it to authorities.

Authorities later identified and arrested Kaufman and Martin. Without legislation on the publications for stealing a dead body, the charge was misdemeanor theft of a casket.

On Nov. 5, a court fined both $300 each as well as ordered them to pay the $750 cost of the harmed casket. The court day, by opportunity, would certainly have been Parsons' 27th birthday celebration.

To recoup costs, Kaufman presented the Gram Parsons Funeral Party. Jonathan Richman as well as the Modern Lovers headlined the event, held at Kaufman's home. Admission costs plus the sales of specially-printed Gram Parsons t-shirts and also beer bottles re-labeled as "Gram Pilsner" elevated $800, per Fong-Torres.

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Parson's partially-burned corpse eventually made it to Louisiana. Memorial Lawn Cemetery near New Orleans came to be Parson's last relaxing area. There ended up being a memorial at Joshua Tree nevertheless, although it's not officially recognized by the park. It's a concrete piece that reads "Safe at Home," referencing a 1968 cd by Parson's International Submarine Band.

In the aftermath of all of this dramatization, Bob Parsons fell short to assert his followed son's inheritance in court. Contrarily, the exploits of "Phil Coffin" ended up being right stuff of tale. Today, you can still hear Parsons songs live from his homage band, New Soft Shoe.