52 Years Ago Today, Country Rock Lost One of Its Most Influential Pioneers in a Tragic and Truly Bizarre Death

On this day (September 19) in 1973, Ingram Cecil Connor III — better known as country-rock visionary Gram Parsons — died in Joshua Tree, California. At just 26 years old, he narrowly missed the macabre “27 club.”

Born November 5, 1946, in Winter Haven, Florida, Parsons’ musical career lasted only a decade. However, his impact has stretched on far longer, leaving an indelible mark on artists like Emmylou Harris, the Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, and others.

History largely credits Parsons with founding the country-rock genre, but he preferred to think of his work — a shimmering kaleidoscope of country, R&B, folk, rock, and soul — as “Cosmic American Music.”

Today, we’re delving into the mysterious circumstances surrounding Gram Parsons’ untimely death, as well as the bizarre events that later unfolded involving a stolen casket, a fiery corpse, and jail sentences for the “Hickory Wind” singer’s road manager and assistant.

How Did Gram Parsons Die?

Finding himself with some downtime between the completion of his second solo album Grievous Angel and the launch of a European tour, Gram Parsons decided to visit Joshua Tree National Park in California.

So the weekend of September 15-26, he checked into the Joshua Tree Inn with his high school girlfriend, Margaret Fisher; assistant Michael Martin; and Martin’s girlfriend, Dale McElroy.

Staying in room eight, much of the group spent the next several days drinking alcohol and doing dr*gs.

The day before his death, Parsons purchased liquid m*rphine from an unknown woman, who injected him and Fisher.

That night, he stopped breathing. After several unsuccessful attempts to revive Parsons, his traveling companions called an ambulance.

The former member of the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers was rushed to High Desert Memorial Hospital in nearby Yucca Valley.

Medical professionals declared him dead on arrival at 12:15 a.m. on September 19, 1973.

Initially, the San Bernardino County coroner found that Parsons had died from natural causes. Later, they would change their findings to reflect death from multiple drug toxicity.

The Body Theft

What happened after Gram Parsons’ death is arguably stranger than fiction.

The singer’s road manager, Phil Kaufman, made some calls and learned that Parsons’ body was bound for the Los Angeles International Airport, where it would then be shipped to New Orleans, Louisiana, for the funeral.

Kaufman and Martin drove to the airport in Dale McElroy’s 1953 Cadillac Hearse. Posing as funeral home workers, they claimed that Parsons’ family had chartered a private flight from Van Nuys Airport to take the body to New Orleans.

Kaufman signed the release papers with the alias “Jeremy Nobody.” In a strange twist of face, a police offer parked nearby helped the two men load Parsons’ casket into the back of the hearse.

“The cop looked at us and I’m thinking, ‘Boy, we’re in trouble now,’” Kaufman later recalled. “But he moved his car and off we went.”

Kaufman and Martin drove their friend’s casket back out to Joshua Tree, where they set the body ablaze and scattered the ashes in the park. Later, they claimed they were following Parsons’ wishes.

[RELATED: 4 Songs That Show How Gram Parsons Became a North Star for Many Rock Legends]

Cops arrested Kaufman at his Van Nuys home on September 26, 1973. Martin surrended himself to police the next day.

Initially charged with grand theft, they eventually received 30-day suspended jail sentences and fines totaling about $1,000 for misdemeanor theft.

Featured image by Robert Altman/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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