Bobby Fuller's death is more sinister and mysterious according to wikipedia.
Within months of "I Fought the Law" becoming a top 10 hit, Fuller was found dead in an automobile parked outside his
Hollywood apartment.
[1] The Los Angeles deputy medical examiner, Jerry Nelson, performed the autopsy. According to
Dean Kuipers:
[7] "The report states that Bobby's face, chest, and side were covered in "
petechial hemorrhages," probably caused by gasoline vapors and the summer heat. He found no bruises, no broken bones, no cuts. No evidence of beating." Kuipers further explains that boxes for "accident" and "suicide" were checked, but next to the boxes were question marks. Despite the official cause of death, some commentators believe Fuller was murdered.
[8][9]
Erik Greene, a relative of
Sam Cooke, has cited similarities in the deaths of Cooke and Fuller. Fuller bandmate Jim Reese suspected that
Charles Manson played a role in Fuller's death, but never provided credible evidence. A sensationalist crime website has speculated that the Los Angeles Police Department may have been involved because of Fuller's connection to a Mafia-related woman.
[10]
Fuller was buried at
Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the
Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles.
[11] His death was profiled in a segment of
Unsolved Mysteries.
[12]
His death was explored in the May 11, 2015 episode of the
NPR program
All Things Considered.[13] The program references the book
I Fought the Law: The Life and Strange Death of Bobby Fuller, by
Miriam Linna, with contributions by Randy Fuller.
[14] Sometime after the
Unsolved Mysteries segment in question initially aired, the cause of Fuller's death was officially changed from "suicide" to "accident."
[12]