Lee Dorman, bass player for Iron Butterfly from 1967-1969, has been found dead in his car in California, aged 70.
Iron Butterfly
Dorman played on the Iron Butterfly signature 1968 album ‘In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida’. The album sold over 4,000,000 copies in the USA. Worldwide it sold over 30 million.
‘In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida’ was Atlantic Records biggest selling album until ‘Led Zeppelin IV’ came along.
The album stayed on the US chart for 140 weeks. 81 of those weeks were in the Top 10.
The title track of ‘In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida’ went for 17 minutes 5 seconds and took up all of side two of the original vinyl album. The song was name-checked once in an episode of The Simpsons. Homer and Marge said they “used to make out to this hymn.”
Watch the 17-minute video of the original song featuring Lee here:
Dorman lived in Orange County, California. He was believed to have been heading to a doctor’s appointment at the time of his death. Police say there are no suspicious circumstances.
