#Mandatorythegestureisforthedead Those dear to the gods die young…
Ingram "Gram" Cecil Connor III Parsons (1946-1973) Singer-songwriter, guitarist, pianist. Former member of the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers, he is universally recognized as the main figure responsible for the transition of more traditionally country music into rock-infused territories, not only by his contemporaries, like the Eagles or Jackson Browne and their assorted company, but also by the advocates of the alt-country resurgence at the end of the last century.
With both the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers, he contributed to the production of two albums that were hugely significant in their genre, almost cult, despite their poor sales, such as "Sweetheart The Rodeo" and "The Gilded Palace Of Sin." Even as a solo artist, he released two albums, at least the second of which is regarded as nothing less than one of the Gospels of modern country rock. He was also one of the mentors to a band as seminal as it was seemingly distant from his world, the Modern Lovers of Jonathan Richman, so ahead of its time that it inspired half of the coming new wave.
That's how the world goes.
Cause of death: Guess what? A lovely cocktail of morphine, heroin, cocaine, assorted alcoholic beverages.
A special mention is deserved for the odyssey of his corpse: he had greatly loved what is today Joshua Tree National Park, to the extent that he expressed to his friends the wish, upon his death, for his ashes to be scattered there.
However, upon his passing, his mother ensured that no representatives from the music world attended the funeral, believing, not without reason, that they were responsible for introducing her son to the use and abuse of drugs and alcohol.
Yet two friends stole a hearse and his coffin that was waiting for departure from the New Orleans airport, drove the beloved body to Joshua Tree, and there filled the coffin with gasoline, setting it on fire. The corpse, only partially charred, was discovered by the police who returned it to the mother after several days. Now the poor remains of the Sorrowful Angel lie at the Garden of Memories in Metairie, Louisiana.
Gram Parsons - A Song For You 