Ray Manzarek : Legendary Rock Club Honoring Doors Death

It's the kind of memorial rock stars dream of ... famed Sunset Strip nightclub Whisky a Go Go -- where The Doors got their start back in the 60s -- will be honoring Ray Manzarek on its marquee for the rest of the week, TMZ has learned.

Ray Manzarek -- who co-founded "The Doors" with Jim Morrison in 1965 and played keyboard -- has died, this according to the band's official Facebook page.

Manzarek was 74.

According to the website, Manzarek passed away today at the RoMed Clinic in Rosenheim, Germany after a lengthy battle with bile duct cancer.

At the time of his death, Ray was surrounded by his wife Dorothy and his brothers Rick and James.

Along with Jim ... Ray and The Doors churned out some of the most iconic rock songs in history -- including, "L.A. Woman," "Break On Through to the Other Side," "The End," "Hello, I Love You," and "Light My Fire."

Doors' guitarist Robby Krieger released a statement saying, "I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and bandmate Ray Manzarek."

He added, "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."

According to the band's official Facebook page ... Ray's family has asked that in lieu of flowers, fans should make an in memoriam donation in Ray's name to Standup2cancer.org.

Today on TMZ Live, Harvey reminisced about the time he met Ray 15 years ago -- and completely embarrassed himself in the process. Really funny story.

A rep for the famed rock club tells us, the marquee memorial will stay up tonight through Saturday -- and every show in the meantime will be dedicated in Manzarek's honor.

The rep says the club will also be briefly "going dark" tonight at 8pm in remembrance.

As we reported, Manzarek -- one of the founding members of the iconic rock band -- passed away today following a long battle with bile duct cancer. He was 74.

The Doors were playing as the house band at the Whisky -- opening for acts like Van Morrison -- when a record exec discovered them and gave the band their first big record deal.

3:55 PM PT -- The Roxy -- another famous Sunset Strip rock club -- has beat the Whisky to the punch ... already erecting its own marquee in Manzarek's honor.

Manzarek is best known as a founding member of the classic rock band The Doors, along with John Densmore, Robby Krieger and the group's charismatic (and controversial) frontman Jim Morrison.

"I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and bandmate Ray Manzarek today," Krieger said in a statement. "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."

The group formed after Manzarek met Morrison while studying film at UCLA in the early-'60s. Later that decade, they became a force on the Los Angeles music scene and helped define the sound of sixties rock. Among their indelible hits: "Break on Through to the Other Side," "L.A. Woman," and "Hello, I Love You."

Following Morrison's death in 1971, the group eventually disbanded, but Manzarek continued to write and record music and wrote a memoir on his time with the band in 1998, titled Light My Fire: My Time with the Doors. His role as the shrewd, straight-laced member of the group was also immortalized in Oliver Stone's 1991 movie The Doors.

At the time of his death, Manzarek was surrounded by his wife Dorothy and his brothers Rick and James. He is also survived by his son Pablo and three grandchildren, Noah, Apollo and Camille.

The PICs is sending their condolence :

The great thing about it? Ray lived before he died. That's how I look at it when someone goes. Can't help but question did they make the most of it? Think for themselves & enjoy it? From what I've read of his life, I think Ray clearly did. & that's the best thing anyone can ask for. A happy interesting life.
What a great musician he was. I wish I could have seen The Doors play, but I will always remember the great keyboard playing in the songs. Mystical, magical and always steady in arrangements.
RIP