‘I Fought the Law’ singer Bobby Fuller was murdered and the cause of death covered up in 55-year-old cold case.
On July 18, 1966, rock and roll singer Bobby Fuller’s body was found beat-up and soaked in gasoline in the front seat of his mother’s car outside his Hollywood apartment. He was 23.
The coroner ruled the cause of death a suicide.
Who the hell is going to kill themself by pouring gasoline over their body? A crazed Tibetan monk maybe, but not Bobby Fuller who was riding a wave and on his way to Hall of Fame stardom.
Here’s the kicker: The half-empty gas can that was found in the car — obviously a key piece of evidence — was tossed in a dumpster by the cop at the death scene so it couldn’t be tested for fingerprints and analyzed.
Later, the coroner changed the cause of death to an accident due to asphyxiation of gasoline fumes. That doesn’t explain why Bobby was beaten up and his body covered with scratches and bruises as though he had been dragged across gravel or asphalt.
There are several theories for the death of the still unsolved mystery, but the truth is that Bobby was being tailed by the mob — for several reasons, ranging from payola to drugs to his relationship with a prostitute who “belonged” to a ruthless gangster. So Bobby got whacked, and the cops covered it up for the mob.
Bobby had been murdered some time earlier, decomposition of the body showed. But his mother’s car was not outside his apartment earlier, so he had to have been bumped off in another location and his body driven back to the apartment, where it was soaked in gasoline from the confiscated gas can. The killers intended to torch the vehicle, but something stopped them and they fled. Bobby was dead anyway, so they had done the contract,
“Bobby Fuller was vulnerable by virtue of his honestly and naivety,” said musician Rod Crosby. “He lived on a high plane of idealism and fantasy. He was swept into the maelstrom of rock decadence and was a victim of a ruthless business. Back then, the music business was extremely corrupt, and you either played along or suffered the consequences.”
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After all these years, we’ll never know the truth, but our gut feeling is that Bobby fought the mob and the mob won.