Ray Manzarek, founding member and keyboardist of The Doors, has died aged 74.
The musician and producer passed away, surrounded by his family, at the RoMed Clinic in Rosenheim, Germany, said publicist Heidi Robinson-Fitzgerald in a press release, his manager Tom Vitorino confirmed Manzarek’s death; he had suffered from bile duct cancer.
Fellow Doors bandmate, guitarist Robby Krieger, issued a statement saying: “I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and bandmate Ray Manzarek.”
“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 and Jim Morrison first formed the influential rock n roll band in 1965 after a chance meeting in Venice Beach, Los Angeles. Manzarek’s striking organ and keyboard playing were a distinctive characteristic of their breakthrough singles, such as ‘Light My Fire’, ‘Break On Through’, and ‘Hello I Love You’. “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.” – Robby Krieger, The Doors
Though the tall, dark and mysterious Morrison and the blonde, glasses wearing Manzarek seemed like opposites on the surface, their connection formed the deeper basis for the band’s sound, attitude, and style. Manzarek knew the pair were kindred spirits when the singer read him the lyrics to ‘Moonlight Drive’, as The Australian points out.
“I’d never heard lyrics to a rock song like that before,” Manzarek said. “We talked a while before we decided to get a group together and make a million dollars.”
The Doors, which included Kriger and drummer John Densmore, went on to become of the most successful rock acts of the ere, continuing to resonate with fans long after the death of their legendary frontman and selling more than 100 million albums.
After The Doors initial split in 1973, Manzarek went on to record a number of solo solo albums – including his 1974 debut The Golden Scarab – and was a member of Nite City, which featured Noah James and Blondie bassist Nigel Harrison. He also worked with the likes of Iggy Pop, Echo and the Bunnymen, ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic, and Aussie punk legends, X.
In 1998, he published his best-selling memoirs, Light My Fire: My Life With The Doors and eventually reunited with Doors guitarist Robby Krieger in 2002 to relaunch a touring career as The Doors Of The 21st Century, before legal battles with drummer Densmore made them change their name to simply ‘Manzarek-Krieger’.
Manzarek, who was born Raymond Daniel Manczarek, Jr., is survived by his wife Dorothy, his son Pablo, two brothers, Rick and James, a daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren. Funeral arrangements are pending.
