Iron Butterfly Founder Doug Ingle Passes Away

Doug Ingle, the singer, organist and primary composer of the American psychedelic rock band Iron Butterfly, passed away on Friday, 24 May. He was 78 years old.

Ingle was the last remaining founding member of the band’s classic line-up after guitarist Eric Brann died in 2003, bassist Lee Dorman died in 2012, and drummer Ron Bushy passed away in 2021. Ingle was best known for writing and performing on the band’s 17-minute opus, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, which was released in 1968.

The singer and founding member featured on the Iron Butterfly albums Heavy (1968), In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (1968), Ball (1969) and Metamorphosis (1970).

The news of Ingle’s passing was revealed in a Facebook post, in which Ingle’s son, Doug Ingle Jr, wrote: “It’s with a heavy heart & great sadness to announce the passing of my Father Doug Ingle. Dad passed away peacefully this evening in the presence of family.

“Thank You Dad for being a father, teacher and friend. Cherished loving memories I will carry the rest of my days moving forward in this journey of life. Love you Dad”.

No cause of death for Ingle was shared in the post.

Emerging as one of the key players in the Lauren Canyon classic rock scene of the '60s and early '70s, Iron Butterfly became infamous for their frequent line-up changes throughout the years, as well as their fusion of psych and hard rock flair.

In 1995, Bushy – a constant in the band for over five decades – revealed that In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida was born from a gallon of wine consumed by Ingle late one night in Laurel Canyon.

Ingle remained with Iron Butterfly until 1971, recording one final album, Metamorphosis, before the band disbanded.

Bushy and Brann led the reunion of Iron Butterfly in 1975, in which Ingle didn’t participate. However, he did join in other iterations of the reunited Iron Butterfly, most recently in 1999.