Iron Butterfly 2012 (THE FINAL PERFORMANCE) with Original founding members (In a Gadda da Vida)

Lee Dorman, bassist for Iron Butterfly, died on Friday December 21, 2012 at the age of 70, the Associated Press reports. According to a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, Dorman was found dead in a vehicle on Friday morning and may have been on his way to a doctor’s appointment.

Dorman was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1942. He joined the Southern California-based Iron Butterfly for its second and best-known album, In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida, which was released in 1968. The 17-minute title track helped the album sell more than 30 million copies, and a three-minute version of the song became a Top 40 hit.

2012 In Memoriam: Musicians We Lost
During Iron Butterfly’s temporary break-up in the 1970s, Dorman and guitarist Larry Reinhardt formed the metal-jazz fusion band Captain Beyond, with Rod Evans from Deep Purple. The group released three albums and had a radio hit with the 1973 song “Sufficiently Breathless.”

Iron Butterfly 2012 (In A Gada Da Vida) Preformance at The Mt. Tabor Theatre Portland Oregon with Founding Members Lee Doorman (Bass Guitar) and Ron Bushy (Drums)

Metal-Jazz Fusion band: Captain Beyond