The Strange Death Of Bobby Fuller

At 21 he was dubbed the Rock and Roll King of the Southwest. At 22 he was called the next Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly all rolled up into one. At 23 he was dead. Bobby and his Brother Randy moved to Los Angeles in 1965 with his band The Bobby Fuller Four. Their greatest hit thus far was "I Fought The Law". On July 18th, 1966 in Hollywood California, Lorain Fuller discovered the lifeless body of her son Bobby face down in the front seat of her 1962 Oldsmobile. His head was under the steering wheel and rigor mortise had already set in. There was an empty can of gas found close to Bobby's head and most of the gas was poured into his mouth and over his body. His face was blood red and swollen. Normally when you find someone with injuries that are unexplained the question of another person's involvement is raised. However, Detectives failed to tape off the crime scene or dust for fingerprints.

One witness said she saw a Plain clothes officer throw the gas can in the trash. The coroner's report officially labeled the death "accident or suicide", case closed. Dr. Cyril Wecht says that the injuries far too significant to be called accident or suicide. Casey Kasen, a radio personality, says he was on the verge of major success and had everything to live for. Fuller's fans and friends proposed numerous theories about his death. Was an overdose of the popular drug LSD the culprit? It seemed unlikely. If someone should die from an overdose of LSD then you should be able to detect traces of the drug in the system. None was ever found. Another theory was that Bobby was killed for insurance money. And there was an insurance policy on his life bought by his band mates, but no such policy was ever paid out. Some even speculated that the mob was involved. In the end the official report was changed from suicide to accident. An accident that remains a mystery to this day.