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.

It is with sad and heavy hearts that the members of the seminal punk rock band, X, pay tribute to their friend and mentor, Ray Manzarek.

Ray Manzarek is an integral part of X’s history. The band’s debut album, Los Angeles was released on April 26th, 1980 and produced by Ray. The album includes a cover of the 1967 Doors song 'Soul Kitchen' and was the bands most successful release. The title track is included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock And Roll and again in 2003. Ray went on to produce the next three studio albums for the band, Wild Gift in 1981, Under the Big Black Sun in 1982 and 1983’s More Fun In The New World.

In late 2010, X celebrated the 30th Anniversary of Los Angeles by playing the entire album, start to finish. Ray joined the band during their two shows in San Francisco, just after Christmas. In August of 2012, Ray again joined the band for the entire show at the famed Roxy Theatre during the Sunset Strip Music Festival, playing Los Angeles in its entirety. In 2013, Rhino released The Doors/X Side By Side: 'Soul Kitchen', a split white vinyl 7".

Ray led by example, from the doors to carmine burana and beyond. He is and will always be a spirit being, adept at expanding perception. And once those doors of perception are opened, they never close. He taught me that we are the keys, that we can unlock all doors, everywhere, to create magic, to transform ourselves and power the world, through joy and love and imagination and art and, above all through music. - Exene

Ray was a mentor to X in our early days and a something of a father figure to Exene & me. He was brilliant & soulful. If Bob Dylan brought poetry & folk to popular music; Ray & the Doors brought the blues & poetry to rock music. The Doors are rock royalty. It has been a privilege & honor to call Ray a friend and share the stage w/ him. - John Doe

Ray always believed in us. We’ll miss him. My heart goes out to Dorothy and Pablo. - Billy Zoom

I am so sorry to hear about Ray’s passing. Not only was he an integral part of X’s history, he was a smart, funny, and kind friend. I will miss him. - DJ Bonebrake

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.