Jeff Wexler Posted May 20, 2013 Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 Ray Manzarek, Founding Member of The Doors, Passes Away at 74 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Hayes Posted May 20, 2013 Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 Very,very sad news.A musical genius.RIP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Lewis Posted May 20, 2013 Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 Another legend passes... I always enjoyed the sound of Ray tickling the keys with the Doors. Ray and Jim together again, boken on through to the other side! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ve7kjr Posted May 20, 2013 Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 The Doors, one of my Favorite rock groups of all time. When I worked in radio "12am -6 am" and it was raining cats and dogs, that was the first album I would reach for and play "riders on a storm". The phone lines would suddenly light up, "Thank you man,that made my day" Lots of great video on youtube, of Ray, take a look. Phil "KJR" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Waelder Posted May 20, 2013 Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 I'm very sorry to hear this. I had the pleasure of working with him on a film a little more than ten years ago. He made sure there was a piano available on every set and he would noodle around between set-ups, giving us mini Doors concerts and a bit of rock & roll history. A good guy and very talented. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VASI Posted May 20, 2013 Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 R.I.P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afewmoreyears Posted May 20, 2013 Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 Sorry to hear that...a pretty bad one...... a LEGEND!!!! Well, soon it will be the Justin Bieber crowd left... THANK GOD we have recordings.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boomboom Posted May 20, 2013 Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 Woah... That's a big loss. RIP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old school Posted May 20, 2013 Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 My condolences to all the Manzarek clan and his friends and of course all of his and the Doors fans. Anyone who can play a bass line and the melody at the same time is a talent. What Ray and the Doors did to the LA music scene and beyond is legendary and still held in high regard. We lost a good one. CrewC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alistair Duff Posted May 20, 2013 Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 Damn that's a real loss. R.I.P. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoRFAbdmKD4&feature=youtu.be Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted May 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 I will add to the whole "story of" videos (which I love!). Anytime I can hear musicians, songwriters, tell about the genesis of a song, I really love this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old school Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 I feel that the Doors music was loved and shared through out the world but for those of us who grew up in LA, they were us and we were them and the times were ours. We all will die but the music will live on. CrewC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikefilosa Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 Damn that's a real loss. R.I.P. I have been a fan of the collective unit called the Doors forever.... since 1967. I've seen a lot of video and film about them - but never caught this one... Thank you very very much for digging it up. Every time I've watched this guy speak, he and his voice has always had such remarkable clairity -- so lucid, thoughtful and so insightful about his art. This video, and many others out there, really show the Doors to be the true collaborative band they were.... Though marketing put Morrison out front, they were ALL virtuosos in their own right. Manzarek was an amazing class act -- Now I've got some reuniting to do with certain records in the collection ..... MF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old school Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 This song is from late in their short blaze of glory but is so of the times and chock full of riffs. So simple but so ahead of its time. Jim Ladd, an L A radio dj and now on Sirus, is having a great tribute to his friend Ray Manzarek this afternoon... CrewC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyatt Tuzo Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 "I always thought there were more musicians involved when I listened to their records, such was the effect of having Ray Manzarek playing his soul out." You said it, RVD! Astonishingly sad. There were few with talent like his. RIP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 I remember my brother and I seeing The Doors on the lip-sync afternoon pop show "9th Street West". They played "Break On Through", the first time we'd heard it, and we went nuts (and then we went to the record store with $2 to buy the 45). Then we found out they were an LA band! Just like us (sort of)! We were big fans--we thought of them as the LA antidote to all that hippie San Francisco stuff. RIP Ray M. philp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Wielage Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 God, that's awful. One of the greatest keyboardists of the decade, a hugely important contributor to the sound of all the Doors' hits. And also an extremely articulate, literate, well-spoken man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OmahaAudio Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 I feel that the Doors music was loved and shared through out the world but for those of us who grew up in LA, they were us and we were them and the times were ours. I didn't grow up in LA and never did that many "mind expanding" drugs so the mystique of The Doors has always escaped me. I always thought that they were, well, okay, but couldn't understand the worship from folks like Oliver Stone et al. I guess you had to "be" there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old school Posted May 22, 2013 Report Share Posted May 22, 2013 I suppose you had to be there Jim. Musically I think they were unique. No one ever sounded like them before or after. Their music has more space around the notes and beats than any rock n roll band I can think of. BTW, it is never to late to expand your mind. CrewC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerard-NYNY Posted May 22, 2013 Report Share Posted May 22, 2013 the appeal of the music of the doors and particularly the keyboard compositions by manzarek is that the band followed, instinctively, the one of the key elements cited by brian wilson of the beach boys as being essential in music production: 'the words and the music should be saying the same thing at the same time.' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old school Posted May 22, 2013 Report Share Posted May 22, 2013 A real nice remembrance from X, one of my favorite L A based bands. Ray produced their first 4 albums which are great IMO. His work w them says a lot about him. CrewC http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-ray-manzarek-appreciation-20130522,0,1462286.story Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted May 22, 2013 Report Share Posted May 22, 2013 A real nice remembrance from X, one of my favorite L A based bands. Ray produced their first 4 albums which are great IMO. His work w them says a lot about him. CrewC http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-ray-manzarek-appreciation-20130522,0,1462286.story Thanks for that--I recall getting the first X album and being very impressed that Ray was the producer--that really increased his stature in my eyes. He was so low-key: I read a story years ago about a journalist who kept seeing a guy just doing stuff around a neighboring house in Hollywood, taking out his trash etc. who seemed familiar somehow. The journalist finally struck up a conversation with the guy, and asked what he did. The guy said "Well, I used to be in a band." When asked which one the guy just said "The Doors"--it was Ray--no pretention, just matter of fact. philp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephensharrod Posted May 22, 2013 Report Share Posted May 22, 2013 Wow, sad to hear. As much as many would think The Doors was Jim Morrison, he had a hell of band to back him up, I think Ray was a huge part of that. Though I wasn't alive for The Doors when they first appeared, I picked up listening to them when I was younger and am still listening to them. Jim's personality was so huge I think it blinded everyone to the brilliant music that was going in the background. He will be missed and off course his contributions and influence to music will not be forgotten. Cheers Ray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneconnelly Posted June 8, 2013 Report Share Posted June 8, 2013 I had the amazing experience of doing sound for an interview with Ray at his house in LA. We pulled up to his house in our beat up van and knocked on his door. He answered the door claiming total ignorance of the interview. He said, "you came all the way from Canada in that (our van)!? Mother F '&@$r! C'mon in! We'll do it by the pool!" Awesome interview, then he split, leaving us alone in his house with just the housekeeper. He had a recording studio in his kitchen and platinum albums in his bathroom! Great guy, incredible talent and an experience Ill never forget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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