Ray Manzarek, founding member of the Doors, passed away today (May 20) due to complications from bile duct cancer. He was 74 and died at a hospital in Rosenheim, Germany. He was surrounded by his wife Dorothy and his brothers.
Manzarek founded the Doors alongside Jim Morrison, John Densmore and Robby Krieger in 1965. His iconic keyboard sound proved to be a backbone of the band, anchoring hits like "Light My Fire" and "Break on Through."
Outside of that group, Manzarek was also an accomplished solo artist, with four albums on his own and two in collaboration with Roy Rogers. He was also a member of Nite City with Noah James and Blondie bassist Nigel Harrison.
In addition to all that, he had also collaborated with Iggy Pop, Echo and the Bunnymen, X and "Weird Al" Yankovic.
In a statement released to Billboard, guitarist Robby Krieger said, "I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and bandmate Ray Manzarek today.... 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 founded the Doors alongside Jim Morrison, John Densmore and Robby Krieger in 1965. His iconic keyboard sound proved to be a backbone of the band, anchoring hits like "Light My Fire" and "Break on Through."
Outside of that group, Manzarek was also an accomplished solo artist, with four albums on his own and two in collaboration with Roy Rogers. He was also a member of Nite City with Noah James and Blondie bassist Nigel Harrison.
In addition to all that, he had also collaborated with Iggy Pop, Echo and the Bunnymen, X and "Weird Al" Yankovic.
In a statement released to Billboard, guitarist Robby Krieger said, "I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and bandmate Ray Manzarek today.... 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."