Ray Manzarek, keyboardist and founding member of THE DOORS, passed away yesterday (May 20th) at 12:31 PM 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.

Members of the hard rock/metal community responded to the tragic news as follows:

ALICE COOPER - "Ok it is OFFICIAL. Ray Manzarek is dead. Mind blown. RIP Ray."

SLASH - "RIP Ray Manzarek words cannot express…"

JOE SATRIANI - "I had the pleasure of playing with Ray Manzarek, impromptu on a Howard Stern radio show many years ago. He was an original, a true artist and musical innovator. The sound he produced is part of the soundtrack of my youth, and my musical foundation. Thank you Ray."

Alex Skolnick (TESTAMENT) - "More sad news: Ray M helped elevate rock's musicality"

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 US alone. 'L.A.Woman', 'Break On Through', '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 Standup2cancer.org.