We at Music Times, as a regular American publication, are not the biggest fans of Saddam Hussein. Nonetheless, we were still bothered to hear about the destruction his tomb by ISIS—the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. For all of the crime he was responsible for during his life, we're not about continuing punishment after death. ISIS has been on a rampage of course, destroying antiquities and other relics from all eras of history, including the aforementioned tomb.
Unfortunately, it's not just dictators who get a raw deal after death. Many of our favorite musicians can't rest easy because some fans are stupid about their homages, or just plain disrespectful. Here's a short list of graves that have a bad history with visitors.
Jim Morrison
No doubt that the final; resting place of the Doors vocalist is the most notorious of all musician graves, perhaps even one of the most vandalized of any on Earth. At first, following his 1971 death, there was no marker for his grave at the famous Pére Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, until officials provided a shield. That's when the trouble began, as the monument was stolen during 1973. A bust of Morrison's head was placed on the grave during 1981 and that too was stolen during 1988. If only that were the extent of it: The flat marker on his plot has gathered vandalism over the years, to the point where it's almost become a popular tourist activity to deface the grave. The resting place of Chopin, in the same cemetery, is much cleaner, although Oscar Wilde's attractive monument has also fallen victim to vandals.
Duane Allman/Berry Oakley
The deaths of Allman Brothers guitarist Duane Allman and bassist Berry Oakley have also been seen as peculiar, considering that the latter died in a motorcycle accident only three blocks from where the former had his own unfortunate crash. The pair were buried next to each other at Rose Hill Cemetery in Macon, GA, the same graveyard that holds the final resting place of Elizabeth Reed, whose burial plot inspired a famous song from the band. Many of the visitors to the space had nothing but respect for the pair's memory, but naturally a few others attempted to either vandalize the grave or straight-up chisel off pieces to take home. Worst of all, Oakley's sister Candace reports having found used condom wrappers around the graves. Some people mean well, even if their attempts at tribute are stupid: Leaving whiskey and joints for the interred is a waste of alcohol and marijuana that just ends up taking up space.
Ronnie Van Zant/Steve Gaines
The Allman Brothers aren't the only southern rock band that have dealt with assh*les after death. Lynyrd Skynyrd vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and vocalist Cassie Gaines were among those killed during a tragic plane crash in 1977, and were buried in close vicinity to each other at Jacksonville Memorial Gardens in Florida. Authorities had dealt with typical vandalism and theft but 23 years following the accident came the worst bout of desecration yet: Vandals broke into the tomb containing Van Zant's casket and took it fora ride around the cemetery. Fortunately the police found it unopened. Gaines and his sister were cremated, and the crooks removed his urn from the separate tomb and also punctured a hole in the bag containing his cremains, possibly leaking some of it.
Bon Scott
Considering the lifestyle of the Highway To Hell-era vocalist of AC/DC, it's almost surprising that Ronald "Bon" Scott's Australian grave hasn't been damaged more than it has, by drunken fans and general idiots. The performer's final resting place was granted heritage status by the National Trust of Australia and a plaque was placed accordingly. For some reason, someone figured that the date of what would have been Scott's 60th birthday was the most blatant time to steal the plaque, and followed through. His is another grave that's frequently left with bottle caps and beer bottles, as fans probably figure that even death from drinking wasn't enough to stop the legendary vocalist from going at it.
Dimebag Darrell
This year brought a new report of grave desecration as photos were posted online featuring an admission to the crime: A username traced to the Indiana band Nuclear Hellfrost showed the guitarist's Texas grave with a razor-blade shaped note that simple read "fag," as well as evidence that they had spit upon the memorial, and claims that they had stolen a pair of boots left at the memorial. The members of the band quickly distanced themselves from the act as legions of Pantera fans left insults and worse on the group's Facebook page. They claimed a former lead singer was responsible for the act. He admitted fault and offered a sincere apology, and as of publication had not been killed. One has to wonder...why would someone risk pissing off Pantera vocalist Phil Enselmo, perhaps the world's angriest man?
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