Ray Manzarek RIP

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

man

thb he always kinda drove me nuts

but at the same time

i feel really weird about this

because i can't really imagine him not being here

great musician in the doors & a real hero for giving X such a good production on Los Angeles

source?

ride on Ray
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4PBoAedWVA

RIP, Ray!

source?

nm, I found it on The Doors' fb page.

It's on The Doors official facebook page

His production work on the first four X albums was fantastic, and I have no shame in admitting not a week goes by that I don't listen to the Doors.

The producer of X is dead?

http://en.mediamass.net/people/ray-manzarek/deathhoax.html

okay yeah i put it on my facebook for like 30 seconds and then saw some sort of hoax thing too.

This is (not) the enddddd?

Apparently the hoax happened over the weekend and then he actually died today? Or was the band's fb page hacked?

I don't know what to think, since no other news outlets have picked it up.

we may never know...

all the news outlets are reposting the report from the FB page...

so it seems that it might not be a hoax...

okay i guess he's really really dead now.

r.i.p. dude. this is still cooler than anything on the new daft punk album.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjmnHMS_esU

I'm sure they can find someone to replace him for the next tour.

(Jokes aside, RIP)

Wapo is running an AP story with a publicist (cited by name) confirming the news: http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/publicist-ray-manzarek-founding-member-of-the-doors-dies-at-74-from-cancer/2013/05/20/2dec0d86-c193-11e2-9aa6-fc21ae807a8a_story.html

It's a sad state of affairs that the first "are you sure" reaction to the death of a celebrity is not shock but disbelief brought upon by assholes who feel that pranking the internet is funny or something.

Yes, I'm aware that false death rumors happened before the internet. It's still a lot more prevalent now and it makes me want to mash my thumbs into their eye sockets until I feel the inside of their skull.

RIP NYCNative

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i19TYrxTS2A

In the last couple years I've reverted to my 13 yr old opinion on the Doors & Pink Floyd

i've had a similar journey, i figure i'm only a few months away from blacklight posters all over the bedroom

confirmed by manager

i know lots of people (well mainly my best friend's dad in middle school who wouldn't shut up about it) thought the guy was sort of a hack, i don't know, he's a super distinctive player, even when tons of bands had keyboard players along those lines. maybe not the fanciest soloist or anything, but he came up with several timeless hooks.

The closest I've come to 13 year old me is that there are a few songs by both the Doors and Floyd that I would listen to, but I don't think I've ever heard a Doors album from start to finish. Afaict, they lend themselves to hits collections really well.

Nyc native OTFM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXmu6p4OTns

I still dig the Doors, I like Ray as a musician/producer. I stopped digging Ray as much as a talking head on documentaries, where he was kind of a facepalm. But a heartfelt rip esp on behalf of high school me :(

how weird that the manzarek thread was active, like, 2 days ago

I don't care about the doors really but to the extent that I do it's pretty much ray

If this doesn't bring Jimbo out of hiding, nothing will...

RIP for the proper Doors stuff, and of course X.

i like the doors a bunch. i'm kinda goth and so were they. plus, the production ruled. the actual early pressings of those albums if you find clean ones are a dream sound-wise. i can divorce cult of jimbo and all that from the music. don't ask me how, but i can.

how weird that the manzarek thread was active, like, 2 days ago

If it wasn't for me stumbling across his movie from 2000 and going 'what the'...

plus, just a ton of catchy tunes. and great sounds/touches. they were pretty interesting from a sonic persepective. strange days is the album to get if you want to hear a whole album or just hear a cool album.

strange days rules

I don't care about the doors really but to the extent that I do it's pretty much Ray

Same here

skot otm and also, ppl who make a big deal out of being Jim-skeptics are such tedious cunts (same w bowie). I just don't care about them that much. some really cool tunes tho

I probably should revisit Strange Days, The Soft Parade and Waiting for the Sun, as I've never liked any of them nearly as much as the debut, Morrison Hotel and L.A. Woman.

Some of the live sets from 1970 that have been released in recent years are cringe-inducing comedy gold, though that's got nothing to do with Manzarek.

i did that very same thing a few months ago and i found The Soft Parade to be pretty fun nowadays. i mean, it's complete cheese, but the doors were always pretty cheesy.

RIP Ray, thanks for inspiring The Stranglers.

how weird that the manzarek thread was active, like, 2 days ago

I don't care about the doors really but to the extent that I do it's pretty much ray

oh god that golden scarab stuff is so awful. are people trolling?

scott OTM, I've got an early pressing of The Soft Parade and it's a dream to listen to.

they were pretty interesting from a sonic persepective

OTM, although I rarely get the urge to listen to them. "People Are Strange" is such a bizarre hit single, and the lengthy, multi-part songs like "The Soft Parade" are pretentious and cheesy, sure, but also quite unique. Any band that covered Brecht/Weill AND Willie Dixon on the same record is okay in my book.

I used to own The Golden Scarab in high school, havent heard it since. My appreciation for it is not trolling at all!

Golden Scarab, texture like sun...

Just dawned on me, you could segue that title track into Mesopotamia by The B-52s.

There goes a very loveable rock star imo. Thanks Ray, you brought something unique to the party.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xillqqt0Y0

One of the last things that he played on:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4sALru9IJk

RIP.

I still dig the Doors, I like Ray as a musician/producer. I stopped digging Ray as much as a talking head on documentaries, where he was kind of a facepalm. But a heartfelt rip esp on behalf of high school me :(

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl),

All of this seconded. RIP Ray

really, RIP.

RIP

who wrote most of the music in The Doors?

Morrison wrote most of the lyrics, but was it Manzarek or Krieger who mostly wrote the music?

copy pasting from my twitter stream

[1/2] 20 years ago I was the tech support guy for a hard drive company One morning phone support line rings. Guy w/dead DAT drive. RMA, etc.

[2/2] “Name?” "Ray Manzarek” I blurted “whoa” and he laughed. Friendly but intense technohippy. Talked mostly about Macs. Forgot 2 mention X

I’ve been wearing glasses since I was 4, and immed. had classic nerd insecurity-my bro had Doors LPs and Manzarek made glasses “cool” 4 me.

Yeah, he was a dork for awhile and the Doors were ridiculous but I love those albums. Prob. an LA thing. RIP

"the Doors were ridiculous"

?!

^ ridiculously great. RIP Ray.

Yeah, sad about this even though he was a bit of doofus in later life, well not so much a doofus as an old hippy. RIP Ray. Haterz (Doors+Manzarek) can go to hell.

RIP.

Haven't listened regularly to the Doors in years, but once upon a time this was a fairly important band to me, as it definitely was for many others. Real gateway-drug kinda thing. And they still sound fucking great, at least for a band a lot of people supposedly looks kind of down on.

RIP Ray. Fuck the haters.

How many Doors bass players does it take to change a lightbulb? /too_soon

who played bass on the doors records? because obv live ray did it with the organ but i'm listening to People Are Strange right now and this is TOTALLY an electric bass being played? was it kreiger or were there session dudes used?

One particular session dude iirc; can't remember his name but it ended Jr.

Lonnie Mack famously played bass on at least one track.

Xp: don't you mean C__ K__?

I might be talking nonsense, it has been known

Doug Lubahn played on a lot of 'em

They had different in-studio bassists on pretty much every album. Lonnie Mack, Harvey Brooks, a bunch of other dudes.

mod edit urgently required here

where?

The post expressing great confidence that it was Harry Connick Jr

It's a common misconception.

"the Doors were ridiculous"

?!

oh, come now.

RM's contribution was generally the most compelling thing about em, and I'd forgotten he'd done more for X than their first album, so RIP.

listened to strange days and la woman today -- the former is pretty great throughout, the latter has some real garbage, along with some high points. "orange county suite" is kinda awesome, haven't really paid attention to that one before.

I listened to the debut, Strange Days and Soft Parade today! S/T is still amazing to me after all these years, esecially the non-overplayed hits, and SD is indeed pretty great throughout. Used to think I liked SP better than I did today.

Watching the Bruins-Rangers game & the MSG organist just a minute ago played the "Light My Fire" intro. Nice.

Morrison wrote most of the lyrics, but was it Manzarek or Krieger who mostly wrote the music?

― nostormo, Tuesday, May 21, 2013 4:54 AM (15 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Krieger.

Those Golden Scarab cuts have the ominous Doors melodrama about them... I think they're quite good in a way!

In the last couple years I've reverted to my 13 yr old opinion on the Doors & Pink Floyd

Same here, though I'm somehow unable to rekindle my Led Zep love.

RIP Ray

You can petition the DOORS TRACKS POLL with ballots! Ray Manzarek memorial ilm artist poll no.36a (voting closes 4am Sunday 26 May, LA time)

X Remembers Ray

plus, just a ton of catchy tunes. and great sounds/touches.

I second this. I listened to Strange Days again a couple days ago (it's the Doors album I listen to most), and what jumped out at me is how many cool little sections with interesting arrangements there are in these very concise, catchy songs. ("When the Music's Over" is not concise, of course, but it probably smoked live).