Death By Misadvanture or Murder? What Really Happened To Brian Jones Of The Rolling Stones? [POLL]

It seemed as if the real story of Brian Jones' death sank with him to the bottom of that pool in East Sussex England in the early morning hours of July 3rd, 1969. Yet, 45 years later, many conspiracy theorists continue to believe that the real story has yet to surface.

In 1994, writer Terry Rawlings issued the book 'Brian Jones: Who Killed Christopher Robin?' His investigating led him to believe that Jones, the Rolling Stones co-founder, was murdered and not a victim of "death by misadventure" as it was stated in the coroner's report. Rawlings has renewed his claims in a recently released updated edition.

What we do know is that Jones was spiraling downward fast and was eventually fired from The Rolling Stones a few weeks before his death. He was deep into drug addiction yet felt he wasn't the problem. It was Mick Jagger and Keith Richards who weren't getting it.

Jones had his idea of where the Stones should go musically in the future while Mick and Keith had their ideas. Eventually Jones would be outnumbered.

The Stones decided that following the release of the Let it Bleed album in July of 1969 they would start a North American tour in November 1969. However, the Stones management was informed that because of his drug convictions Jones would not receive a work permit.

At the suggestion of pianist and road manager Ian Stewart, the Stones decided to add a new guitarist on June 8th, 1969. Jones was visited by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts soon after and was told that the group he had formed would continue without him.

To the public it was made to look as if Jones had left voluntarily. Jones released a statement on June 9th, 1969 announcing his departure. In this statement he said, among other things, that "I no longer see eye-to-eye with the others over the discs we are cutting". Jones was replaced by 20-year-old guitarist Mick Taylor.

The dejected and out-of-work Jones was living at the former home of A.A. Milne, author of the famous Winnie The Pooh book series, at the time of his death. He had some guests over to his house on the night of July 2nd including a man named Frank Thorogood, an employee of Jones.

Both Jones and Thorogood were not getting along. In fact, there were those who stated their relationship had grown violent as Jones had previously informed Thorogood his services were no longer needed. In other words, Jones fired Thorogood.

But, and this may have been Jones' biggest mistake, he allowed Thorogood to stick around for a while and even take a swim before his last exit.

That is where the details of what happened after become blurry even though Thorogood tried to make it as clear as crystal years later. It was Thorogood himself who decided to confess to the murder of Jones on his death bed in 1993. He told the band's former manager Tom Keylock the following: "It was me that did Brian. I just finally snapped."

Yet there are still those who feel, despite Thorogood's confession, that this was not what happened. That it was simply another rock star who was out of his mind on drugs and alcohol. That Jones drowned in his pool as a result of being too high on drugs to keep himself from drowning at the bottom of his own pool.

Now we ask you. Was Jones' death just a misadventure gone terribly wrong or was it something much more sinister?