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Jim Gordon Death: Accused Mother Killer And Session Drummer Passed Away
Jim Gordon was a session drummer all his life and played for some of the biggest music stars of rock. He collaborated with Beatles stars, Beach Boys, and Eric Clapton. One time he co-wrote classic music “Layla”. But soon, the music career of Jim Gordon ended when he was convicted of murdering his mother.
Jim Gordon Death
That’s right, the artist was sentenced to imprisonment. Jim Gordon was 77 and at the California Medical Facility of Vacaville when he was declared dead. He has left behind Amy, his daughter from the first marriage.
A publicist named Bob Merlis confirmed the death of the ex-session drummer. He said that the cause of death was natural. Earlier, Jim was fighting a battle with mental illness and incarceration.
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Murdering His Mother
In 1983, many friends and family members claimed that Jim Gordon was tormented. He used to listen to the voices in his head and that’s what led him to murder Osa Marie Gordon, his mom. He hit his mother with a hammer and stabbed her to death with a butcher knife.
Talking about this incident, Jim Gordon said that the crime feels to him like a dream. He can remember the details of what all happened in that time and space. The incident feels detached as though he was going through some other dimension. Nothing felt real.
Soon, Jim Gordon was diagnosed with schizophrenia after which he was sent to prison for 16 years to a lifetime. There were several instances when Jim requested parole but he didn’t get it.
Jim Gordon Career
Jim Gordon was born in Sherman Oaks in 1945 where his mother was a nurse and father was an accountant. He attended Grant High School in Los Angeles and didn’t accept a scholarship from UCLA.
Before Jim became a convicted murderer, he was a young guy who kickstarted his career right after high school graduation. The drummer performed with Everly Brothers with the help of a fake ID. After that Gordon performed with many famous stars.
He also played the drum for Glen Campbell in “Gentle on My Mind”, the “Pet Sounds” album by Beach Boys, and “You’re So Vain” by Carly Simon.
The critic of rock music Joel Selvin once said that Clapton has always praised Gordon as he was kind of a big fill in the music band. He also shared how Ringo Starr thought Jim Gordon was the greatest drummer. His surgical skills, extraordinary technique, and intuitive factor are what elevated his way of playing the drums on every record.
Joel Selvin has written a biography on Jim Gordon which would be released by 2024.
Jim Gordon Battle with Mental Illness
Although Jim Gordon had an amazing career, he struggled personally throughout life. Once when he went with Joe Cocker on a tour, the former was accused of assaulting Joe’s girlfriend Rita Coolidge.
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Sharing the details about the incident, Rita said that Jim quietly asked if he could talk to her for a minute. He wanted to talk alone and when they came out of the room, Jim hit her hard and she fell on the floor. This came out of the blue. Before this incident took place, Rita thought that he was charismatic and simply amazing and this side of him came out rarely. So, she knew that something was wrong. After the assault, she recognized a different look in his eyes.
When Jim Gordon killed his mother, the problem of his mental suffering came forward. He said that the voices inside his head asked him to kill her.
