The inn where Gram Parsons died

This is the inn where Gram Parsons died of an overdose.

It is called the Joshua Tree Inn, and it is located at 61259 29 Palms Highway in Joshua Tree, California.

Parsons was an influential singer who blended country, blues, soul, and rock music. His unique multi-genre style is often referred to as "Cosmic American Music."

During the late 1960s, he developed a fascination with Joshua Tree National Park and began making regular trips to the area to "recuperate."

This "recuperation" involved daily excursions to the nearby desert and the consumption of alcohol, psychedelics, heroin, morphine, and other drugs.

Parsons was an avid UFO enthusiast. During his time in southwestern California, the 26-year-old would often disappear into the desert, take LSD, and then scan the skies for signs of alien life.

The singer made his final journey to Joshua Tree on Monday, September 17th, 1973. He was accompanied by his former high school girlfriend, Margaret Fisher, his assistant, Michael Martin, and Martin's girlfriend, Dale McElroy.

Death

On September 18th, 1973, Parsons drank six double tequilas at a bar in the nearby town of Yucca Valley. Later that night, he returned to the inn and purchased morphine from an unknown woman.

It is believed that the singer may have overestimated his tolerance to the drug, as he ended up injecting enough to kill 2–3 people.

Parsons overdosed in room 1.

Fisher attempted to wake him up by giving him a cold shower, but it failed to have any effect. When the shower didn't jolt him awake, she moved him to a bed in their friends' room (room 8) while she fetched him a cup of coffee.

As Parsons was lying in room 8, his breathing became more and more irregular until he eventually died.

Attempts to resuscitate the singer were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead at High Desert Memorial Hospital during the early hours of September 19th, 1973.

Cremation

Shortly before his death, Parsons had told his tour manager, Phil Kaufman, that he did not want a normal funeral. Instead, he wanted to be cremated and have his ashes spread at Cap Rock in Joshua Tree National Park.

Despite this request, his family planned to fly his body back to New Orleans for a traditional funeral and burial.

To prevent this from happening, Kaufman and Parsons' former assistant, Michael Martin, posed as mortuary workers, stole the body from Los Angeles International Airport, and drove it back to Joshua Tree in a custom hearse.

The pair then hastily attempted to cremate Parsons' remains by setting his casket on fire at Cap Rock. However, the improvised cremation "ceremony" was not entirely successful, as a significant portion of the singer's body remained intact.

At the time, California did not have a specific crime for stealing a dead body. Consequently, Kaufman and Parsons were only charged with misdemeanor theft.

Cap Rock

Parsons' remains were cremated near Cap Rock, which is roughly 16 miles south of Joshua Tree Inn.

The National Park Service does not recognize this location as an official memorial for the singer. The location is not marked on any of its maps or brochures.

In the past, the service had quickly removed any inscriptions, graffiti, or gifts left behind by fans.

There is some debate over whether this is the exact location where Parsons' body was cremated, as several sources have claimed that the casket was set alight 0.25 miles away from Cap Rock.

Regardless, it seems as though this rock in Joshua Tree National Park has become something of a mecca for fans of the singer.