Five famous rock'n'roll graves

By Matt Neal
Updated November 7 2012 - 11:08am, first published July 11 2008 - 5:36am
The Hardest Working Man In Showbiz finally gest some rest.
The Hardest Working Man In Showbiz finally gest some rest.

IN death, rock stars can not only become even more popular than ever, but they can also become tourist attractions.Musicians' graves are hot spots for travellers. Elvis Presley's Graceland, which is now his final resting place and a museum in his honour, is the second most-visited private residence in the US (after the White House). The graves are also hot spots for idiotic fans who feel the best way to honour their hero is to take a memento from the memorial. Last week, thieves stole a headstone marking the place where Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis is buried. It's a regular problem for cemeteries housing famous figures.It's also one of the reasons many rock stars are cremated, as it lessens the potential for a cemetery circus. John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, Keith Moon and Janis Joplin were all cremated and memorials have instead been created in their honour. This also decreases the impact on whoever is unlucky enough to be buried next to a famous rock star (see Jimi Hendrix). But here are four of the most popular rock `n' roll graves (and one still in the planning stages) so you can plan your next holiday.Jim Morrison (1943-1971)THE hedonistic lifestyle that ultimately killed The Doors frontman at 27 followed him to his grave - literally. According to FindAGrave.com (a website for locating famous people's grave sites), Morrison's burial plot at Le Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris has been the scene of ``devil worship rites, sexual orgies and drug parties'' held by Doors fanatics. The cemetery - which also features the graves of singer Edith Piaf, writer Oscar Wilde, actor Yves Montand, pioneering filmmaker George Melies and author Marcel Proust - left Morrison's resting place unmarked for some time after his death to ward off rock 'n' roll tourists. Since putting his name on it, parts of the site have been stolen or defaced by over eager fans, but it is one of the most popular graves at the famous cemetery.Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970)ANOTHER member of the unfortunate `27 Club' (along with Morrison, Joplin, Cobain and Brian Jones), this guitar legend was buried at Greenwood Memorial Park in his birthplace of Seattle, despite Hendrix's wish to be buried in England. As Hendrix's legend grew in the wake of his death, nearby graves were accidentally damaged by well-wishers. As a result, Hendrix's coffin was moved to a special memorial dome in a separate part of the cemetery - a good move considering about 17,000 people visit his grave each year. His father and step-mother are also buried in the dome, which remains unfinished for unknown reasons.Elvis Presley (1935-1977)PROBABLY the most famous rock grave in the world, The King's palatial Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, attracts 600,000 visitors a year. Presley (who didn't actually die on the toilet because he managed to crawl a few feet from it before dying) was originally buried in Forrest Hill Cemetery in Massachusetts but problems with attempted grave robbers forced a move to Graceland. One of the last stops on the Graceland tour is Presley's current grave, located next to his parents and grandmother's grave in the Meditation Garden, which The King had added to the mansion when he moved in.Bon Scott (1946-1980)REPORTEDLY the most visited grave in Australia, the AC/DC singer was cremated and his ashes interred in Fremantle, where he had spent much of his youth. As popularised in the movie Thunderstruck, the Scott memorial at Freo Cemetery is a favourite spot among Acca Dacca fans who want to have `a beer with Bon'. But like all good rock graves, it wouldn't be rock 'n' roll unless someone stole something from the grave site. Sure enough, on what would have been Bon's 60th birthday, thieves swiped the plaque from the memorial. James Brown (1933-2006)FOR someone revered as the King Of Funk, Brown's treatment since his death on Christmas Day 2006 has been anything but regal. Due to disputes between his family, friends and lovers, the body of the Godfather Of Soul was kept on ice for two and a half months. He was then buried at a private site. But fear not, funk fans. Brown's clan is in discussion with the Presleys to work out a suitable Graceland-style venture to properly honour the artist formerly known as The Hardest Working Man In Show Business. Watch this space.

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