The Tragic Death Of The Doors' Ray Manzarek

By 1966, The Doors were signed to Elektra records and well on their way to becoming rock stars, on the strength of songs like "The End," "Break on Through (To the Other Side)," and "Hello, I Love You," among many others (via AllMusic). Central to the band's sound was Manzarek's keyboard melodies and inventive arrangements. That, coupled with Morrison's lyrics and on-stage persona, helped make the band a success. By 1971, the light for the Doors seemed to go out, strained by Morrison's worsening alcoholism, substance use, and controversial on-and-off stage behavior. Because of this, Morrison left the band at that point and died in Paris just a short time later, per The Guardian.

Before Morrison's death, Manzarek and the band tried to carry on, releasing two post-Morrison albums, "Other Voices" in 1971 and "Full Circle" in 1972, but the group eventually fractured. They re-formed one more time for "An American Prayer" in 1978, featuring new music set to old recordings of Morrison reciting his poetry. On the post-Morrison Doors records, Manzarek told Rolling Stone, without their former lead singer, each remaining band member started off in a different direction. What made The Doors work was the perfect blend of four personalities that balanced each other out, Manzarek continued. "But [after Jim died] the whole dynamic was screwed up, because the fourth guy wasn't there," Manzarek said.

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