Jim Morrison's statue found several decades after it went missing

Thirty-seven years after it went missing, the statue of Jim Morrison has been recovered.

The 27-year-old musician and poet died in 1971 and was buried in Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris.

The 270-pound bust was created by Croatian sculptor Mladen Mikulin and installed on Morrisons' tombstone on the 10th anniversary of his death.

It disappeared in 1988, and the trail to find it eventually went cold.

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In a social media post, the Paris Regional Judicial Police Directorate explained, "After 37 years of absence, the bust of Jim Morrison, stolen in 1988 from the Père Lachaise cemetery, has been found. This iconic symbol for the singer's fans was recovered during an investigation conducted by the Financial and Anti-Corruption Brigade, under the authority of the Paris Public Prosecutor's Office."

The prosecutor's office told CNN "This was a chance discovery made during a search ordered by an examining magistrate at the Paris court."

Sources say the bust did not appear damaged beyond the graffiti and its broken nose, which were already damaged when it went missing.

Morrison's grave has regularly been a site of vandalism and damage.

A riot broke out at the site in 1991 on the 20th anniversary of his death.

Reports say a guard has been permanently stationed at the site since.

Feature image from Wikimedia commons from Effervescing Elephant