Iron Butterfly Drummer Ron Bushy, Best Known For 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida', Dies At 79

Renowned for his tenure with hard rock and heavy metal pioneers Iron Butterfly, prolific drummer Ron Bushy has died at the age of 79.

According to a statement via Iron Butterfly's official Facebook page, Bushy, perhaps best known for his blistering work on the band's 1968 17-minute opus In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, "passed away peacefully, with his wife Nancy by his side, at 12:05am on August 29th at UCLA Santa Monica Hospital.

"All three of his daughters were also with him. He was a real fighter. He will be deeply missed!"

Bearing the bragging rights as being the only band member to feature on all six of Iron Butterfly's studio albums, Bushy joined the group in 1966, replacing previous drummer Bruce Morse.

Emerging as one of the key players in the Lauren Canyon classic rock surge of the '60s and early '70s, Iron Butterfly became infamous for their frequent line-up changes throughout the years as much for their fusion of psych and hard rock flair; but the steady hand of Bushy behind the kit was one of the the biggest constants for the group for over five decades, while also most notably gifting an eye-watering contribution to the group's girthy opus In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. 

While the 1968 monster In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida claims infamy for its 17-minute run-time, the contribution of Bushy's prolific near-three minute drum solo on the track cemented the legendary status of both the band and Bushy's cred in the broader industry. 

When Bushy relinquished full-time playing in the mid-2010s amid health concerns, he still continued to drum with Iron Butterfly on and off as a guest, while also gifting the occasional insight into the Iron Butterfly world - including the fact that In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida was born from a gallon of wine consumed by Iron Butterfly vocalist and keyboardist Doug Ingle late one night in Laurel Canyon.

A true family man outside of his musical pursuits, Bushy is survived by wife Nancy, his three daughters and six grandchildren.