Quite often in the news, famous people are linked to self storage. There was the recent uncovering of Marilyn Monroe’s shoes, a letter written by Abraham Lincoln, and a rare Superman comic book stolen from actor Nicolas Cage. The latest celebrity item to surface is a treasure trove of lost Jim Morrison photographs snapped in 1968 and unearthed in a storage unit.
Morrison, the deceased lead singer of The Doors, was the subject of a teen magazine photo shoot by a European photo agency in 1968. But none of the pictures were ever published. Instead, they were packed away inside a storage unit and forgotten about until a staff member recently came across the 51 pristine A4-sized prints. A collector snatched up the photos and is offering them to fans through the fanzine, The Doors Collectors Magazine. A blurb in the publication’s website reads: “We Do Not have the negatives or own the copyrights to these and neither will you! Once the prints are gone, you won’t see these again.”
Cage’s 1938 comic book was found inside a storage unit after being stolen from his West Los Angeles home in 2000. The DC comic book marks the print debut of Superman, is regarded as one of the most important comic books ever published and is estimated to be worth about $1 million.
Members of Inside Self-Storage Talk have shared celebrity rental stories in the past. Member Tom Litton once rented a space to R&B star Lionel Richie who was apparently looking for a space to park his tour bus so that his soon-to-be ex-wife wouldn't find it. Litton said Richie shared a few laughs with him and always paid on time.
Apparently, athletes are common self storage renters as they often have small apartments and condos in the cities where their teams are based. Sometimes, celebrities aren't the renters, but rather the investors and owners of self storage businesses. Notable examples are Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who has owned a facility in Texas, and former Cowboys and University of Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer, who owns a chain of facilities in Oklahoma.
Sources Used:
“’Pristine’ Jim Morrison Photos Discovered in Storage Unit.” StarPlus.com. July 2, 2011.
Robinson, Holly. “Rare Comic Book Stolen From Nicolas Cage Found in Storage Unit.” Self Storage Industry News. April 12, 2011.
Carlisle, John. “Celebrity Rental Stories on Self-Storage Talk.” Inside Self-Storage. Oct. 11, 2010.