Doug Ingle, the last surviving member of the original lineup of heavy rock band Iron Butterfly, has died at age 78.
Ingle was the lead vocalist and organist for the band he co-founded in 1966, singing their 17-minute hit In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, which appeared on a 1995 episode of The Simpsons.
The musician’s son announced his father’s death on social media but did not give any cause of death.
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida appeared on Iron Butterfly’s 1968 self-titled album, which spent 81 weeks in the top 10 in the US.
The album was eventually certified quadruple platinum, meaning it sold at least 400,000 copies.
The title track became legendary and something of a running joke in rock circles, and its length meant that late-night disc jockeys could play it while having a cigarette or going to the bathroom.
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is a slurred version of “in the Garden of Eden”, as the band’s drummer Ron Bushy supposedly misheard when Ingle first presented the song to the band.
In The Simpsons episode Bart Sells His Soul, the mischievous skateboarder introduces a version of the song into his church’s worship service under the title “In the Garden of Eden.”
“Hey, Marge, remember when we used to make out to this hymn?” Homer whispers in the episode.
The song was also covered by other bands, including Slayer, The Residents, Boney M and the Incredible Bongo Band, whose version was sampled twice by rapper Nas. He also memorably appeared in Michael Mann’s 1986 thriller Manhunter.
The track ended up being 17 minutes long partly because Iron Butterfly studio engineer Don Casale asked the band to play the song so he could set its levels so he could record without the band members realizing.
The extended practice ended up being the master shot.
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Ingle’s son, Doug Ingle Jr, said in a statement confirming his father’s death: “It is with great regret and great sadness to announce the passing of my father Doug Ingle.
“Dad passed away peacefully this afternoon in the presence of his family. Thank you dad for being a father, teacher and friend. Loving and treasured memories that I will carry with me for the rest of my days moving forward on this journey of life. I love you dad.”
Ingle was the last surviving member of the band’s original lineup, following the deaths of guitarist Erik Brann in 2003, bassist Lee Dornan in 2012, and drummer Ron Bushy in 2021.
Dozens of musicians have been part of the group in its various incarnations over the decades.
That’s not including the four musicians touring as Iron Butterfly today, none of whom date back further than 1995.
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