American songwriter and drummer, who backed Eric Clapton and The Beach Boys before being diagnosed with schizophrenia and sentenced to death for killing his mother, Jim Gordon has passed away at the age of 77. According to the sources, Gordon took his last breath on Monday, March 13, 2023, at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville. Well, the news of his passing was confirmed by the State Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation on Thursday. It was believed that he died due to natural causes but the official cause of his death will be determined by the Solano County coroner.
Since the news of his passing was confirmed on social media, his fans and many individuals are paying tribute to him and giving their deep condolences to the family members who are going through a difficult time. Musician, Mark Lindsay wrote,” I’m sorry to hear about the passing of Jim Gordon. I was just discussing his mentions in the new Leon Russell bio with my wife yesterday. It’s such a shame that his legacy of incredible drumming is almost overshadowed by the tragedy of his mental illness”. Many more people are also paying tributes to the musician by taking their personal social media handles.
Who Was Jim Gordon?
Born as James Beck Gordon on July 14, 1945, in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, and joined the Grant High School. He earned a music scholarship to UCLA in order to start his professional career in 1963. He later rose to prominence as one of Los Angeles’ most in-demand recording session drummers. He also performed on many notable recordings in the 1960s, including Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys, Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers, by Gene Clark, The Notorious Byrd Brothers by the Byrds, and Hit Classical Gas by Mason Williams.
As per Wikipedia, Jim attacked his widowed mother, Osa Marie who was 71-year-old on June 3, 1983. He attacked her with a hammer, then stabbed her with a butcher knife, he claimed that a voice told him to kill his mother. After his arrest was made, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. At his trial, the court accepted that he had acute schizophrenia, but he was not allowed to use an insanity defense.
During his career, he made several hit albums such as The Pretender, Out of the Storm, The Notorious Byrd Brothers, Stars, Eric Clapton, Mad Dogs & Englishmen, Who Knows Where the Time Goes, and many more. He will be always remembered by his family and friends.
