Raymond Daniel Manczarek, Jr., known as Ray Manzarek (February 12, 1939 -- May 20, 2013), was an American musician, singer, producer, film director, and writer, best known as a founding member and keyboardist of The Doors from 1965 to 1973.

Manzarek was of Polish descent, born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, as were his parents, Helena and Raymond Manczarek.Growing up, he took private piano lessons from Bruno Michelotti and others. He originally wanted to play basketball, but he only wanted to play power forward or center. When he was sixteen his coach insisted either he play guard, or not at all, and he quit the team. Manzarek said later if it was not for that ultimatum, he might never have been with The Doors. He went to Everett Elementary School on S. Bell St. and attended St. Rita High School in Chicago.He graduated from DePaul University with a degree in Economics and played in many shows at the school.
From 1962 to 1965, he studied in the Department of Cinematography at UCLA, where he met film student Jim Morrison. At UCLA Ray also met Dorothy Fujikawa, whom he would marry. They would have a son, Pablo. Forty days after finishing film school, thinking they had gone their separate ways, Manzarek and Morrison met by chance on Venice Beach in California. Morrison said he had written some songs, and Manzarek expressed an interest in hearing them, whereupon Morrison sang a rough version of "Moonlight Drive." Manzarek liked the songs and co-founded the Doors with Morrison at that moment. Manzarek met drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger at a Transcendental Meditation lecture. Densmore says, "There wouldn't be any Doors without Maharishi."
In January 1966, The Doors became the house band at The London Fog on the Sunset Strip. According to Manzarek, "Nobody ever came in the place...an occasional sailor or two on leave, a few drunks. All in all it was a very depressing experience, but it gave us time to really get the music together." The same day The Doors were fired from The London Fog, they were hired to be the house band of the Whisky a Go Go. Their first performance at the Whisky was with the group Them.
The Doors' first recording contract was with Columbia Records. After a few months of inactivity, they learned they were on Columbia's drop list. At that point, they asked to be released from their contract. After a few months of live gigs, Jac Holzman "rediscovered" the Doors and signed them to Elektra Records.
The Doors lacked a bassist, so Manzarek usually played the bass parts on a Fender Rhodes piano. His signature sound is that of the Vox Continental combo organ, an instrument used by many other psychedelic rock bands of the era. He later used a Gibson G-101 Kalamazoo combo organ (which looks like a Farfisa) because the Continental's plastic keys frequently broke, according to Manzarek.
Manzarek played in several groups after the Doors, including Nite City.
His memoir, Light My Fire: My Life with The Doors, was published in 1998. The Poet in Exile (2001) is a novel exploring the urban legend that Jim Morrison may have faked his death. Manzarek's second novel, Snake Moon, released in April 2006, is a Civil War ghost story.

Personal life and death

Manzarek married Dorothy Fujikawa in Los Angeles on December 21, 1967, with Jim Morrison and his long time companion Pamela Courson as witnesses. Manzarek and Fujikawa remained married until his death. They had a son, Pablo, and three grandchildren, Noah, Apollo and Camille.

On May 20, 2013, Manzarek died after a long battle with bile duct cancer, at a hospital in Rosenheim, Germany, aged 74.