Ray Manzarek, keyboardist for the Doors, died on Monday at the age of 74 in Rosenheim, Germany where he was being treated for bile duct cancer. "I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and bandmate," said the band's guitarist Robby Krieger in a statement. "Ray was a huge part of my life and I will always miss him."
KISS guitarist Paul Stanley says he doesn't mind that the band has not been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Speaking with the Huffington Post, Stanley said he doesn't put much credence in the Rock Hall's opinion of great rock music. "Look, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is marketing," he said.
Rod Stewart admits that he and fellow Faces rocker Ronnie Wood had a close call with the groupie crew famously know as the Plaster Casters. The women were known for collecting plaster castings of famous rock stars' genitals. Stewart told Sirius Radio he nearly obliged them as well.
The Rolling Stones welcomed special guest Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters to the stage during their recent show in Anaheim, California. The show took place at the Honda Center on May 18 with Grohl joining the legends for a rendition of their track "B*tch." The appearance came as part of the Stones' ongoing 50 and Counting tour.
Bob Dylan was made an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters for his distinction in the creative arts. Dylan was named into the honorary category because the academy was unable to decide which category his work best fit into. Academy executive director Virginia Dejani explained: "It was decided that he is a very multitalented person . . ."
Paul McCartney missed a chance to jam with Jimi Hendrix and Miles Davis because he was out of town when a telegram arrived requesting his presence at the session in New York. "We are recording and [sic] LP together this weekend. How about coming in to play bass?" reads the letter, adding, "Call Alan Douglas . . . Peace Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, Tony Williams."
John Fogerty has previewed a clip of himself in the studio with the Foo Fighters, the latter of whom joined him for "Fortunate Son," the 1969 cut redone for his latest album, Wrote a Song for Everyone. "It was palpable, the air," the Creedence Clearwater Revival fronter told Henne Music of the collab.
David Bowie has been nominated for an O Music Award. Bowie's music video for "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)" has been nominated in the Too Much A** for TV category and will face competition from Sigur Ros' "Valtari," DIIV's "Wait," Frank Ocean's "Pyramids" and Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines."
Mick Fleetwood says Fleetwood Mac often keep quiet about their sordid romantic past. Speaking with CBS, the drummer claims he rarely discusses his affair with Stevie Nicks. "The misconception is that we don't like each other. We do. We actually love each other. It's just the co-existing from time to time has been incredibly hard."
Former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman has ruled out any chance of playing with his old mates again, despite reuniting with them onstage during their 50th anniversary concerts in London this past November.
Wyman, who played with the Stones from 1962 until 1993, explained his thinking to the Huffington Post: "They'd asked me the December before . . ."
Bruce Springsteen was among the rockers whose music was featured on the final episode of The Office, NBC's workplace comedy. The series finale also featured Mötley Crüe, Guns N' Roses, Motörhead and Tom Petty tunes playing at the wedding of Dwight and Angela. The Boss himself hit Twitter to complement the show's producers on their selection.
Sting, Bono, Paul Simon and Elton John were on hand to perform at the 25th anniversary Robin Hood Foundation gala. The event was held Monday night at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City to raise money to fight poverty and help those in need in the New York City area.
David Bowie's classic hit "Space Oddity" has been covered a lot of times, but perhaps never before like Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, who performed the song while aboard the International Space Station. In Hadfield's version of "Space Oddity," he altered the lyrics to include a mention of the Soyuz capsule aboard which Hadfield will return to Earth.
The Beatles' 1965 movie Help! is finally seeing a release on Blu-ray. The re-mastered film, available June 25, will featured an expanded soundtrack as well as over an hour's worth of bonus material. In addition to a re-mastered soundtrack, the Blu-ray release will also include a 30-minute documentary about the making of the film.
Karen Faye, Michael Jackson's makeup artist and friend of nearly three decades, said that in the days before his death the singer was paranoid, repeated himself continuously and was so cold she bundled him in a blanket, put him in front of a space heater and hugged him to try to stop the shivering.