When I love an artist or musician, I will spend a lot of time learning and researching about them. Over the years, I’ve come across stories of some of my favorite celebrities who appear to have dealt with spirit possession. These people are typically incredibly talented and ultra-intelligent. It makes me wonder how this happens to some people and not to others. It appears to be artists and creatives who are most often affected.

David Bowie is one of my favorite musical artists. Did you know that when he created Ziggy Stardust, he actually became that character? It was as if this space being had taken him over. He started to feel schizophrenic as though his thoughts were no longer his own. When that became too much for him, he promptly quit the show, giving his band only a couple of days notice that he was ending the tour.

What about the story of how Jim Morrison believed he was inhabited by a Native American spirit? His story is that as a child, driving through the desert with his parents, they arrived within moments of an accident on the side of the road. His father got out of the car to see what he could do. Little boy Jim Morrison sat observing this when he notices a distinct change in himself. He felt the spirit of the deceased native man enter his body. He believes he carried it with him his entire life. 

Jim Morrison was a terrible alcoholic, and could be quite cruel. On more than one occasion his actions, while on stage, incited riots that carried out into the streets. I sometimes wonder if drinking was his way of trying to control what was happening inside of him. Or perhaps did the spirit drive him to drink so much? 

Regardless, Jim Morrison became one of America’s greatest poets and rock ‘n’ roll icons. He was certainly one of my favorite musical artists growing up. Maybe having the spirit in him is what helped him to do that. Despite his brilliance and fame, he actually lived a bitter, tragic life.

Have you seen the documentary “Jim and Andy”? Well, if you’re curious about spirit possession, this is one that you will want to see. It’s about how the spirit of Andy Kaufman appears to take over Jim Carrey’s body during the filming of “Man on the Moon”, the movie about Andy Kaufman. Jim Carrey starts to behave like Andy, at times being insolent and often very odd, even when he is off set.

It was much more than getting into character. Jim himself felt as though the spirit of Andy Kaufman was sometimes in control. Luckily, it was only a temporary conundrum but he says it changed his life forever. “I didn’t black out, but the balance was way in Andy’s corner,” said Carrey, who went on to win a Golden Globe Award for his performance in the film. “I broke (character) a couple of times on weekends and stuff, but pretty much from when I woke up to when I went to bed, the choices were all his.”

The more I learn about spirit possession, the more that I find these stories fascinating. Especially when it’s about ultra-creative personalities.