Ray Manzarek Of The Doors dies at 74

The Doors was among one of those rock acts that my cousin brother "forced" me to listen to during the early 70's. He lent me their LA Woman record but I just could not quite learn how to appreciate them. But their "Light My Fire" track forever burnt into my mind, most probably til the day I die. That song has been covered by almost every so and so in the music world. (I have at least a dozen covers by Motown artistes in my collection)

Manzarek's keyboard skills helped The Doors sell 100m albums

Ray Manzarek, keyboardist and founder member of the 1960s rock band The Doors, has died aged 74.
He formed the band with lead singer Jim Morrison in 1965 after a chance meeting in Venice Beach, Los Angeles.
Manzarek, who had suffered from bile duct cancer for many years, died in a clinic in Rosenheim, Germany, with his wife and brothers at his bedside.


The Doors found fame in the 1960s with hits such as The End, Break on Through to the Other Side and Hello I Love You.
They sold more than 100 million albums worldwide and Manzarek became one of the best-known keyboardists of his era, his artistry colouring tracks like Riders on the Storm and Light my Fire.
The death of Morrison of heart failure in a bath in Paris on 3 July 1971 effectively spelled the end for the band, although Chicago-born Manzarek took on singing duty.
The front man had moved to the city to write. A doctor's report stated the cause of his death was heart failure aggravated by heavy drinking.
In his latter years, Manzarek played in other bands and, in 1998, wrote a best-selling memoir, Light My Fire: My Life with The Doors.