Many coming of age in the 1960s hold a special place in their hearts for Iron Butterfly’s 1968 psychedelic rock anthem “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.” Now, the vocalist, composer and organist behind the mega-hit — Doug Ingle — has died. He was 78.
Ingle’s son, Doug Ingle Jr., confirmed his father’s death on social media.
“It’s with a heavy heart & great sadness to announce the passing of my father Doug Ingle,” he wrote. “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,” the post continued.
Ingle was born in Nebraska and raised in San Diego, forming Iron Butterfly in 1966, according to The Guardian. The band released “Heavy” and then “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” in 1968, the title of the latter being a garbled version of “in the garden of Eden.”
Ingle wrote the song while drinking a gallon of wine, the Guardian wrote — hence the garbled title.
The original version of the song was 17 minutes before a radio version was slashed down to three. The shorter version of the song reached number 30 on the Billboard top 100 chart.
Ingle and Iron Butterfly released two more albums after “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida,” but neither matched the commercial success of that album. The band was slated to play at the Woodstock festival in 1969, but they wound up getting stranded at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, according to Ultimate Classic Rock.
Unfortunately, by 1974, three years after the band broke up, Ingle was in serious debt.
“I was a child among men,” Ingle told the Los Angeles Times in the mid-’90s. “I was dealing with people who were competent but not necessarily (working) in my interest. I took the luxury of playing ostrich. I didn’t involve myself at the business level at all. I just went out and performed.”
Ingle lost most of his property, including a 600-acre ranch and an apartment building in Woodland Hills, California. He even had to sell his grand piano, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Ingle rejoined Iron Butterfly and toured with the band in 1978 and through most of the ‘80s and ‘90s, officially retiring in 1999, according to NBC News.
“In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” would go on to influence a generation of rockers, and was famously covered by “The Simpsons.”
