From this morning's RAMP newsletter...
Ray Manzarek died Monday at the RoMed Clinic in Rosenheim, Germany after a lengthy battle with bile duct cancer. He was 74. The news was initially posted on The Doors Facebook page. After a chance meeting, Manzarek and poet Jim Morrison formed The Doors in 1965. The band went on to sell more than 100 million albums worldwide, earning 19 gold, 14 platinum and five multi-platinum albums in the U.S. alone. "I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and bandmate Ray Manzarek today," said Doors guitarist Robby Krieger, who had toured with Manzarek since 2002. "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, two brothers, son Pablo and three grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, you are asked to make a donation in Ray Manzarek's name at standup2cancer.org.
I never met Ray, but conducted a few phone interview with him. He was a very serious man (at least the times I spoke with him). I was never a huge fan of the Doors, but Manzarek's rockin' organ was a key component of their sound. I always thought this one was the best example of that...
