Doug Ingle, Lead Vocalist of Iron Butterfly and Singer of Rock Classic “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida,” Passes Away | Entertainment and Arts Update
Doug Ingle, the last surviving member of the original line-up of heavy rock band Iron Butterfly, has passed away at the age of 78.
Ingle, who was the lead vocalist and organist in the band he helped create in 1966, performed their 17-minute long signature hit In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, which was featured in a 1995 episode of The Simpsons.
The musician’s son announced his father’s death on social media without disclosing the cause of death.
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida was included in Iron Butterfly’s 1968 album of the same name, which spent 81 weeks in the US top 10 charts.
The album eventually achieved quadruple-platinum status, indicating sales of at least 400,000 copies.
The title track became iconic, with its lengthy duration allowing radio DJs to play it during breaks. The song title, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, is a slurred version of “in the Garden of Eden,” misheard by the band’s drummer, Ron Bushy, when Ingle first introduced the song.
In The Simpsons episode Bart Sells His Soul, the character sneaks a version of the song into a church service under the title “In The Garden Of Eden”.
In another scene, Homer whispers to Marge, “Hey, remember when we used to make out to this hymn?”
Several other bands, including Slayer, The Residents, Boney M, and the Incredible Bongo Band, covered the song. It was also featured in Michael Mann’s 1986 thriller movie Manhunter and sampled twice by rapper Nas.
The extended duration of the track, 17 minutes, was due in part to the band’s studio engineer, Don Casale, recording a practice run to set levels, which ended up being the master take.
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Doug Ingle Jr., Ingle’s son, expressed his sadness over his father’s passing: “It’s with a heavy heart and 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 for the rest of my days in this journey of life. Love you Dad.”
Ingle was the sole surviving member of the original band line-up, after the deaths of guitarist Erik Brann in 2003, bassist Lee Dornan in 2012, and drummer Ron Bushy in 2021.
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Over the years, numerous musicians have been part of the band’s different line-ups, with the current touring Iron Butterfly members not having connections to the original band prior to 1995.
