UK - Rolling Stone Brian Jones 1969 death might have been murder

Brian Jones was found dead on July 3, 1969 in the bottom of a swimming pool. At that time, Jones had recently left the band, and a coroner’s report gave the official cause for his demise as “death by misadventure,” though subsequent films and books (including “The Murder of Brian Jones” by Anna Wohlin, a girlfriend of Jones who was with him when he died) have suggested that foul play was involved.

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2...mine-1969-death-of-rolling-stone-brian-jones/

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The Police in Sussex, England are following new evidence unearthed by London’s Daily Mail, that raises new questions about Jones’ death. It points a guilty finger at his manager, Frank Thorogood, who died in 1994.


Some key witnesses have died, notably nurse Janet Lawson, who found Jones’s body and was convinced he was murdered and taxi driver Joan Fitzsimons a former girlfriend of Thorogood’s who reportedly knew important details about the case.

Autopsy found that no illegal drugs were in the star’s body, outside of three-and-a-half pints of beer.

Sloppy police work may have contributed to the ultimate finding that Jones died by accident. Even though police on the scene believed Jones died after a fight with Thorogood, several witnesses were never interviewed.

http://www.theimproper.com/Template_Article.aspx?IssueId=17&ArticleId=3967

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Last November, we revealed fresh evidence from nurse Janet Lawson, who found Jones’s body. She said she saw his minder, Frank Thorogood, jump into the pool and ‘do something to Brian’. She was convinced he had killed Jones.
Thorogood died in 1994. Her claims are supported by PC Albert Evans, the first officer on the scene, who spoke to all the witnesses in the hours after Jones’s death and concluded he had died as a result of a fight with Thorogood


Three unidentified witnesses were allowed to leave the scene without being interviewed.

Finally, police files have revealed how taxi driver Joan Fitzsimons, a former girlfriend of Thorogood, was attacked and left for dead three weeks after Brian Jones died. According to the official records, Ms Fitzsimons was planning to speak to the media about Jones’s death.
Thorogood was said to have been desperately searching for Ms Fitzsimons in the weeks before the attack because, the files reveal, she knew too much about the band. She died in 2002.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ian-Jones-death-MoS-reveals-new-evidence.html

I read this this morning and it is SOOO interesting! Thanks for sharing! can't wait to see the updates

There are many questions regarding his death that night, probably too bad they waited so long to ask these questions... might be too late.

ITA dgfred. everyone is MUCH older, and let's not forget the fun of choice, those still around that were partying with the stars are probably all fried out.

I believe they got into a fight and Brian hit his head or something... then into the pool to coverup 'fight'.

The best article yet, written by the man that interviewed a dying witness and investigated Jones' death. There are pictures of the pool, which seems small. Also in the comments someone who had been in that pool said the deepest part of the pool was only waist deep.
It sounds like the investigation was botched from the beginning. They figured he was drugged out, but no drugs were in his body. Even an attempt to call for help was botched when some woman refused to get off the phone........



"Keylock, who is still alive, was worried about Jones's health and also thought that there was tension between the guitarist and Thorogood.

'Frank was not doing the building work properly,' Jan told me. 'Brian had sacked him that day.

'There was something in the air. Frank was acting strangely, throwing his weight around a bit.

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Later, when Jones was in the pool by himself, he asked Janet to find his asthma inhaler.

'I went to look for it by the pool, in the music room, the reception room and then the kitchen. Frank came in in a lather. His hands were shaking. He was in a terrible state. I thought the worst almost straight away and went to the pool to check.

'When I saw Brian on the bottom of the pool and was calling for help, Frank initially did nothing.

'I shouted for Frank again as I ran towards the house, and he burst out before I reached it, ran to the pool and instantly dived in. But I had not said where Brian was. I thought, "How did he know Brian was at the bottom of the pool?"

'I ran back to the house and tried to call 999 but Anna was on the phone and would not get off it.' "


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbi...ing-Stone-Brian-Joness-death-solved-last.html

Die-hard Stones fan here!

I've always been fascinated by what happened to Brian Jones. I know that he was basically falling apart during 1968, before he was kicked out of the band. However, he was supposedly pulling himself together at the time of his death. He was also reported to be an excellent swimmer, despite being very asthmatic. One of the more interesting things I've read about that day was that his ex-girlfriend Suki Potier had been at the house earlier in the day, and they had fought. She later went to the house right after his death, and reported that all the valuables had been taken out of the house by Tom Keylock and the local construction guys who were working on the house (it sounds like she had gone back to help herself to the valuables, but was disappointed when they were gone). She supposedly said something like, "His William Morris tapestries were gone". Those items have never resurfaced. His girlfriend at the time of his death, Anna Wohlin, was quickly ushered out of the country by Tom Keylock. She has stated that they made her go back to her native Sweden right away, and that she felt threatened by Keylock.

Interestingly, Suki had been a passenger in the Lotus driven by Tara Browne, her boyfriend before Jones. They got into an accident in 1965 that killed Browne. He was a Guinness heir and friend of the Beatles and the Stones. He was supposedly high on LSD when he crashed his car. Suki was unscathed. That accident is famous. It's mentioned in the Beatles song, "A Day in the Life". The lines, "he blew his mind out in a car" and "nobody was really sure if he was from the House of Lords" are about Tara.

marie-chantal said:

Die-hard Stones fan here!

I've always been fascinated by what happened to Brian Jones. I know that he was basically falling apart during 1968, before he was kicked out of the band. However, he was supposedly pulling himself together at the time of his death. He was also reported to be an excellent swimmer, despite being very asthmatic. One of the more interesting things I've read about that day was that his ex-girlfriend Suki Potier had been at the house earlier in the day, and they had fought. She later went to the house right after his death, and reported that all the valuables had been taken out of the house by Tom Keylock and the local construction guys who were working on the house (it sounds like she had gone back to help herself to the valuables, but was disappointed when they were gone). She supposedly said something like, "His William Morris tapestries were gone". Those items have never resurfaced. His girlfriend at the time of his death, Anna Wohlin, was quickly ushered out of the country by Tom Keylock. She has stated that they made her go back to her native Sweden right away, and that she felt threatened by Keylock.

Interestingly, Suki had been a passenger in the Lotus driven by Tara Browne, her boyfriend before Jones. They got into an accident in 1965 that killed Browne. He was a Guinness heir and friend of the Beatles and the Stones. He was supposedly high on LSD when he crashed his car. Suki was unscathed. That accident is famous. It's mentioned in the Beatles song, "A Day in the Life". The lines, "he blew his mind out in a car" and "nobody was really sure if he was from the House of Lords" are about Tara.

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Hadn't known that Suki was Jones's girlfriend after the fatal accident (or if I ever did I've forgotten). Nicky Browne, who was Hon Tara Browne's widow (they were married still at the time of the crash) died recently and her Telegraph obit is here.

Nicky wasn't very old. I wonder how she died? I always wanted to know more about her. I didn't know that she was a commoner. I always assumed she was from the aristocracy. It's very odd how all those people were so tightly connected. Nicky was friends with Anita Pallenberg, who was Brian's girlfriend before she ran off with Keef. Suki was Tara's girlfriend. Anita and Nicky were pals. It was a closely-connected world in that group.

Anita ran off with Keith when Brian beat her up in Morocco. Everything I've read about Brian and Anita talks about what a violent relationship they had. Brian was a troubled guy, and I don't think he ever got over Anita leaving him. Suki looked exactly like Anita, IMO. At one point, Brian and Anita shared clothes and purposely tried to look alike. He did this with Suki too; although I've heard that Suki wore her hair like Brian's because she had to cut her hair in order to dress like a guy during a visit to a tribe of musicians in rural Morocco (women weren't allowed).

I have heard that Brian's parents are still living.

The mystery deepens (maybe). From Mail on Sunday:

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards had a blazing row with their former Rolling Stones bandmate Brian Jones on the day he died, culminating in Richards drawing a knife, according to an extraordinary claim made to police.

In a bizarre twist in the mystery, The Mail on Sunday has seen documents in which the daughter of the man now thought to have been involved in Jones’s death claims that the Stones’ former guitarist was confronted at his East Sussex home by Jagger and Richards over who owned the rights to the group’s name.
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The rest of the story here:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...st-riddle-guitarists-death-swimming-pool.html

AHA! I knew it!

I just had to say that.

For the longest time all of us in fandomland found it easy to accept the drowning thing: Brian was a wastrel and Brian drowned. Mick memorialized Brian by reading two stanzas of Shelley's 'Adonais' at the Hyde Park show, and that was that. The motorcade sped on.

Another Brian link from today....

Rolling Stones Brian Jones' lover Anna Wohlin claims he was killed in scuffle with minder. (Mirror)

After reading Bill Wyman's autobiography, it seemed very likely Brian's death was no accident. Mick and Keith had been waging a war for more than a year to break Brian psychologically and get him out of the band. Wyman left a strong impression that the workman at Brian's (who was on the payroll of the Stones) was actually working for Mick and Keith.

The issue of ownership of the Stones name was very critical and, IIRC, hadn't been resolved at the time of Brian's death. The recent interview with Brian's girlfriend is a real eye opener as well. She would have known, more than anyone, what happened that day. Her story at the time was suspicious and much of her activity that evening was unaccounted for. I'm glad she's finally speaking out, but I have a feeling she's still holding back.

The scenario with Keith pulling a knife on Brian seems very likely. I'm reading Keith's autobio now and he mentions his own habit of carrying a knife. The behavior of Keith and Mick in the years after Brian's death, including their refusal to discuss it and escalating drug problems were probably the result of a guilty conscience. Mick and Keith were both users of people, neither of them highly talented and both insecure about it.

I wish Bill Wyman would speak out, but they probably bought his silence a long time ago.

Keef was arrested in Arkansas once for carrying a concealed weapon - a knife in his boot.

I don't see him pulling a knife on Brian though. He'd already recently stolen his girlfriend - Anita Pallenberg.

It wouldn't have been physically necessary at this point either; Keith was wiry, Brian, dissipated.

Then again....they were on the road to Altamont.

I remember reading an unauthorized biography of the Stones, years ago. I wish I could remember the author's name, but he was someone who worked with them. Even though he was saying that Brian Jones death was an accident, even in his account it didn't sound all that accidental. I always wondered if it was the contractor, too.

kdblaisdell said:

I remember reading an unauthorized biography of the Stones, years ago. I wish I could remember the author's name, but he was someone who worked with them. Even though he was saying that Brian Jones death was an accident, even in his account it didn't sound all that accidental. I always wondered if it was the contractor, too.

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Was it 'Up and Down with the Rolling Stones' by Tony Sanchez, a.k.a. Spanish Tony?

It is truly mysterious. Drowning was the listed cause even though Jones was a good swimmer. No trauma was found. He had no drugs in his system other than alcohol. The alcohol might have been at legal intoxication levels but just barely - probably less than half the level of the passing out stage. Suicide has to be considered but that seems like a rather excruciating way to die and one would think would induce you to change your mind and save yourself. Nothing really adds up. He could have been held underwater I suppose but I think it would take more than one person to do that.

If I was going to bet, I think I'd go for fainting or some sort of seizure.

kdblaisdell said:

I remember reading an unauthorized biography of the Stones, years ago. I wish I could remember the author's name, but he was someone who worked with them. Even though he was saying that Brian Jones death was an accident, even in his account it didn't sound all that accidental. I always wondered if it was the contractor, too.

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I read one too and don't recall the name. It's not the one Woofie mentions above. It led me to think it was all very suspicious.

My father was a HUGE fan of the Stones and I still have an old scrapbook I made in the 70's somewhere. I've always been under the impression that Brian's drowning was suspicious.