May 20th, 2013 
James Shotwell 
Ray Manzarek, who co-founded legendary rock group The Doors with Jim Morrison in 1965, has passed away at the age of 74.
It’s hard to throw a paper airplane in the music business without hitting someone with a story about how The Doors impacted their life in one way or another, and there is zero doubt his legacy will live on for decades to come. His death was announced via a long post on The Door’s official Facebook. You can read their words and view one of the most notable Doors performances of all time below. If you have memories of Manzarek to share, comment at the end of this post.
Ray Manzarek, keyboardist and founding member of The Doors, passed away today at 12:31PM PT at the RoMed Clinic in Rosenheim, Germany after a lengthy battle with bile duct cancer. He was 74. At the time of his passing, he was surrounded by his wife Dorothy Manzarek, and his brothers Rick and James Manczarek.
Manzarek is best known for his work with The Doors who formed in 1965 when Manzarek had a chance encounter on Venice Beach with poet Jim Morrison. The Doors went on to become one of the most controversial rock acts of the 1960s, selling more than 100-million albums worldwide, and receiving 19 Gold, 14 Platinum and five multi-Platinum albums in the U.S. alone. “L.A.Woman,” “Break On Through to the Other Side,” “The End,” “Hello, I Love You,” and “Light My Fire” were just some of the band’s iconic and ground-breaking songs. After Morrison’s death in 1971, Manzarek went on to become a best-selling author, and a Grammy-nominated recording artist in his own right. In 2002, he revitalized his touring career with Doors’ guitarist and long-time collaborator, Robby Krieger.
“I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and bandmate Ray Manzarek today,” said Krieger. “I’m just glad to have been able to have played Doors songs with him for the last decade. Ray was a huge part of my life and I will always miss him.”
Manzarek is survived by his wife Dorothy, brothers Rick and James Manczarek, son Pablo Manzarek, Pablo’s wife Sharmin and their three children Noah, Apollo and Camille. Funeral arrangements are pending. The family asks that their privacy be respected at this difficult time. In lieu of flowers, please make a memoriam donation in Ray Manzarek’s name at www.standup2cancer.org
Rest in peace, Ray. You will be missed.
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He was always the “brain” behind the Doors songs…gone too soon!
I know Ray also covered for Jim Morrison on vocals, when Jim was over-intoxicated. I also enjoyed his first two solo albums, The Golden Scarab (1973) and
The Whole Thing Started With Rock & Roll Now It’s Out of Control (1974). A real loss.