Ray Manzarek, a founding Member of The Doors, has died at age 74.

The keyboardist, born Raymond Daniel Manczarek, Jr., succumbed this afternoon (Monday) at the RoMed Clinic in Rosenheim, Germany, where he was being treated for bile duct cancer. He was surrounded by his wife of 46 years, Dorothy Manzarek, and his brothers Rick and James Manczarek (the original spelling of the family name).

Just last week, Doors guitarist Robby Krieger told us Ray was sick, but was hoping to play a show they had scheduled in Los Angeles in August. He has issued a statement saying, "I was
deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and bandmate Ray Manzarek today. 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."

In addition to his wife and brothers, he is survived by his son Pablo, his daughter-in-law Sharmin and their three children. Funeral arrangements are pending. The family
asks that its privacy be respected at this time. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Ray's name to Stand Up 2 Cancer at StandUp2Cancer.org.

The Chicago-born Manzarek moved to Los Angeles to study film in 1962. He formed the The Doors in 1965 with singer-poet Jim Morrison, drummer John Densmore and Krieger shortly after finishing UCLA film school, and dropped the "c" from his last name to make it "Manzarek." A chance encounter on Venice Beach with Morrison, who was also studying film at UCLA and had written some lyrics, led them to put the band together.

Although their first record deal, with Columbia, fell apart, they soon signed to Elektra Records and recorded their self-titled album. While their first single, "Break on Through," wasn't a hit, their second, an edit of "Light My Fire," that omitted Manzarek's lengthy John Coltrane-inspired organ solo, was -- topping the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks. "Break on Through" eventually went on to become one of the group's signature songs, too, though Manzarek said people who thought it was about death had misunderstood it.

The Rolling Stones kicked off their 50 and Counting tour Friday at L.A.'s Staples Center, and the show was book-ended by two very different versions of "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction." The song  was first performed by the UCLA Marching Band in the aisles at the back of the hall just before the Stones hit the stage. Then it served as the final number of the Stones' two-hour-and-20-minute, 23-song set.

The concert actually began with a short film about the band, featuring such fans as Johnny Depp, Cate Blanchett, Iggy Pop, Pete Townshend and Patrick Carney of The Black Keys explaining why they love The Rolling Stones. Stars like Jack Nicholson, Eddie Murphy, Nicole Kidman, Vanessa Hudgens, Paul Stanley and members of Foo Fighters and No Doubt watched the film, and the show, from their seats.

Celebrities also appeared on stage:

• Gwen Stefani -- sporting a spangled T-shirt of the Stones' tongue-and-lips logo -- sang with Mick Jagger on "Wild Horses." Afterwards Jagger asked, "Where do I get one of those T-shirts?"
• Country star and American Idol judge Keith Urban traded guitar licks with Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood on "Respectable," as well as joining Mick on the mic.
• Former Stones guitarist Mick Taylor played on "Midnight Rambler," in an arrangement that extended the song's slow, grinding middle section.

The first thing Jagger said from stage was, "Good evening, Los Angeles! Or it is really just Beverly Hills, Brentwood and parts of Santa Monica," an apparent reference to the tonier areas of the city. Seats were initially priced from $250 to $600, but promoters AEG Live eventually began selling $150 and, finally, $85 seats, which resulted in a full house, with last-minute buyers filing into the arena as the concert got under way.

The band appeared happy and played with spirit and intensity, while the 69-year-old Jagger
seemed to gather energy as the evening progressed. The set included such rarely performed numbers as "Factory Girl" (from 1968's Beggars Banquet) and the 1980 hit "Emotional Rescue," which Jagger noted they'd "never ever done on stage before." The chorus to the early hit "The Last Time," seemed particularly appropriate to the 50 and Counting tour: "This could be the last time / This could be the last time / Maybe the last time / I don't know."

Aerosmith assistant tour manager John B. has posted a little item on the band's website about their first week in Australia where they are on tour. He says, "It was a very emotional week here in Sydney. The guys all kept close eyes and ears on what was going on in their hometown [of Boston following the bombings] and their thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved in that horrible tragedy."

Bassist Tom Hamilton adds, "So strange being so far away from home and all that's happened. Was it a dream? I wish it was. So proud of my city. Sad for those who were hurt."

Aerosmith, who performed in Sydney on Saturday on a bill with Van Halen, is in New Zealand on Wednesday.

Rush, Heart, Public Enemy, Donna Summer, Albert King, Randy Newman plus non-performers Lou Adler and Quincy Jones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last night (Thursday) at L.A.'s Nokia Theater.

Newman kicked off the ceremony by performing "I Love L.A.," with help from Jackson Browne and John Fogerty. Don Henley inducted Newman, calling his voice "perfect to convey the humor of the characters that populate his songs.” Newman then performed "I Think It's Gonna Rain Today" solo and was joined by Henley for "I'm Dead, But I Don't Know It."

Cheech and Chong inducted producer, label head and music impresario Adler, who spoke about his first encounters with the stoner comedy duo, as well as the two artists he's best known for producing, The Mama's and the Papa's and Carole King. King then performed "So Far Away."

Using his guitar to illustrate the styles of a number of blues greats and citing a list of guitarists who had borrowed Albert King's riffs for their own songs, John Mayer inducted the late blues singer and guitarist. He said that although he started playing the guitar in 1991, just a year before King died, "Albert King's influence is forever embedded in my playing." King's daughter and granddaughter accepted the award. Gary Clark Junior then played King's "Oh, Pretty Woman" and was joined by Mayer and organist Booker T. Jones on "Born Under a Bad Sign."

Kelly Rowland stepped in for Christina Aguilera, who was ill, to induct the late Donna Summer, whose husband of 32 years, Bruce Sudano, accepted the award flanked by their three daughters. He said that although she was not very big on awards and didn't display any in their home, Summer would have been proud of this one. He called the evening "bittersweet, for obvious reasons." Jennifer Hudson performed Summer's hits "Bad Girls" and "Last Dance." 

Oprah Winfrey, a surprise participant, inducted Quincy Jones, saying that she was almost rendered speechless trying to describe what he had done for her career by casting her in the movie The Color Purple. Jones himself wasn't rendered speechless, giving a lengthy summary of a lengthy career that has stretched from the swing era to today. He urged  people to travel and expand their horizons. Usher sang Michael Jackson's "Rock With You" in a tribute of its producer.

Spike Lee and Harry Belafonte inducted Public Enemy, Lee telling the story of how their "Fight the Power" became the theme song of his movie Do the Right Thing. Leader Chuck D gave everyone a chance to speak, including Flava Flav, who made the most of the opportunity a la Quincy Jones. When Chuck finally got the mic he said, "For all of you that see us here and say, 'There goes the neighborhood,' don't forget, we all came from the blues." They performed "Bring the Noise," with Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello on guitar, "911 Is a Joke" and "Fight the Power."

Soundgarden's Chris Cornell  inducted Heart, explaining how they were local heroes in Seattle when he grew up. "They were not just beautiful and rockin', but something
that the rest of the world could care about." The band's original lineup were all on hand for their induction. They performed "Crazy on You," "Dreamboat Annie" and, joined by Alice in Chains' Jerry Cantrell and Pearl Jam's Mike McCready, "Barracuda."

Rush's long-awaited induction got by far the loudest cheers from the house. Foo Fighters Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins  inducted them with speeches that seemed at times close to a roast. Grohl got more serious to say that they'd "stayed true to themselves, no matter how uncool they may have seemed to anyone." Rush's drummer Neil Peart and singer-bassist Geddy Lee gave speeches that were alternately funny and poignant, but guitarist Alex Lifeson  topped them with a "speech" that used only the phrase "blah blah blah," while he acted out the events leading up to their induction -- a brilliant piece of performance art. Their actual performance began with Grohl on guitar, Hawkins on drums and producer Nick Raskulinecz on bass doing the instrumental "2112 Overture, Part I." Rush then took the stage for "Tom Sawyer" and "The Spirit of Radio."

The evening ended with a blues jam on "Crossroads," featuring all of Rush, Chuck D, Run DMC's DMC, Fogerty, Clark Junior, Cornell, Morello, Hawkins and Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart.

Eric Clapton will stage his fourth Crossroads Guitar Festival over two nights this weekend at Madison Square Garden in New York -- Friday and Saturday. This year's edition, which benefits his Crossroads rehab center in Antigua, features some Crossroads regulars along with some new faces. Among those on hand are Jeff Beck, B.B. King, Robbie Robertson, Robert Cray, Vince Gill, Brad Paisley, Buddy Guy, Citizen Cope, Gary Clark Junior, Jimmie Vaughan, John Mayer, Jonny Lang, Keith Urban, Los Lobos, Beth Hart and Robert Randolph.

When he started the Center in 1998, Clapton told us his goal was to try and raise as much money to operate it before asking his friends to help out by performing. "I think from what I know about my relationships with these people is that there would be no doubt that if I wanted to say organize a benefit concert to raise money that they would be there. I'm absolutely certain of that."

Clapton staged his first Crossroads concert at Madison Square Garden in 1999 with Bob Dylan and Sheryl Crow. The Crossroads Guitar Festivals followed in 2004 in Dallas and in Chicago in 2007 and 2010.