---
title: "Keyboardist Ray Manzarek of The Doors dies at age 74"
description: "Ray Manzarek, a founding member and keyboardist of 1960s rock group The Doors, died on Monday at age 74, the group's manager Tom Vitorino said."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Newsdeck"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2013-05-21-keyboardist-ray-manzarek-of-the-doors-dies-at-age-74/"
published: "2013-05-21T00:26:08"
updated: "2013-05-21T00:30:40"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 179
---

# Keyboardist Ray Manzarek of The Doors dies at age 74

> Ray Manzarek, a founding member and keyboardist of 1960s rock group The Doors, died on Monday at age 74, the group's manager Tom Vitorino said.

By Reuters · Published 21 May 2013, 02:26 SAST · Updated 21 May 2013, 02:30 SAST

## Content

Manzarek died in Rosenheim, Germany, following a battle with bile duct cancer, the band said in a statement.

Singer Jim Morrison and Manzarek formed The Doors in 1965 after a chance meeting at Los Angeles' Venice Beach, and Manzarek's keyboard work would go on to be a touchstone of hits like "Break On Through to the Other Side" and "Light My Fire."

*Watch: Hello, I love you – The Doors*

[Media](https://www.youtube.com/v/hzM71scYw0M?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0)

"I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and bandmate Ray Manzarek today," The Doors guitarist Robby Krieger said in a statement. "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, who was born in Chicago in 1939, is survived by his wife, Dorothy, two brothers, a son, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren. **DM**

*Photo: Members of the music group "The Doors" are shown in this undated publicity photograph. Shown (L-R) are Ray Manzarek, Jim Morrison, Robbie Krieger and John Densmore. (Reuters)*