Ray Manzarek, founding member of The Doors, dies of cancer at 74

Legendary rock keyboardist Ray Manzarek, a founding member of The Doors, has died of bile duct cancer. He was 74.

In a statement from his publicist, word that he died at the RoMed Clinic in Rosenheim, Germany, surrounded by his family.

I first became a fan of his work by way of the great late-'70s, early '80s L.A. punk band X. Manzarek co-produced their four earliest albums, the first of which was one of the very first vinyl punk records I owned.

Below, an excerpt from X: The Unheard Music. Below that, three episodes from a wonderful series of monologues by Manzarek about his life and work by L Studio Presents.