James Douglas Morrison, commonly known as Jim Morrison from "The Doors," received a Bachelor of Science degree in Cinematography from UCLA. He went on to have an extensive career as a singer and songwriter with many successes before his death at age 27 due to kidney failure caused by alcohol abuse. Morrison was born on July 8th, 1943 in Florida. His father was a successful dentist who owned his own practice, while his mother worked as a nurse. She later married Donald Floyd Walton, a wealthy real estate developer. The couple had three children together: a son named James, and daughters Jennifer and Stephanie. As a child, Morrison showed an interest in music. He taught himself how to play the guitar when he was just 11 years old. At the age of 14, he started writing songs that would become part of his future band's repertoire. Two years later, he joined a local group called the Wilsons. They played cover songs by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and other popular artists of the time. In 1961, at the age of 18, Morrison dropped out of school and moved to Los Angeles where he hoped to make it as a musician. He took a job as a camera operator for a television show called "Hollywood Palace".