Doug Ingle, the frontman and organist of the American rock band Iron Butterfly, who wrote their big hit In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida, has died aged 78, the Guardian reported.
His son Doug Ingle Jr broke the news on social media, writing: “Thank you Dad for being a father, teacher and friend. I cherish the fond memories that I will carry for the rest of my days as I move forward on this journey.
Born in Nebraska, Ingle grew up in San Diego, where he formed Iron Butterfly in 1966. They signed with Atlantic Records, who released their debut album Heavy in 1968. Later that year, In-a-Gadda- Da-Vida, its title is a twisted version of “in the Garden of Eden”, as spoken by a drunken Ingle, who wrote it while drinking a gallon of wine.
The full 17-minute version of the song occupies the second half of the album of the same name, which spent 140 weeks on the US album chart and sold more than four million copies.
The three-minute radio cut also reached number 30 on the singles chart.
Ingle appeared on two more studio albums, with 1969's Ball being their highest-charting full-length album at No. 3 in the US. He left in 1971, hastening the breakup of the group.
After amassing millions with the group and buying a 600-acre ranch, Ingle later found himself in debt to the US Internal Revenue Service. He operated a recreational vehicle fleet in Los Angeles during the mid-1970s, but returned to Iron Butterfly for various tours until his final reunion with the band in the mid-1990s.
Ingle was the last surviving member of the classic Iron Butterfly lineup following the deaths of drummer Ron Bushey, bassist Lee Dorman and guitarist Eric Brann between 2003 and 2021.