Iron Butterfly's Lee Dorman dead at 70

LEE DORMAN, bassist for psychedelic rock outfit Iron Butterfly, has died at age 70, according to the L.A. Times and other sources. The musician's body was discovered in a vehicle Friday morning, a statement from the Orange County Sheriff's Department reveals, but authorities don't suspect foul play; OCSD's Gail Krause speculated that Dorman, a Laguna Niguel resident, may have been on his way to a doctor's appointment when he passed away. Iron Butterfly's In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida became a touchstone of the late '60s; the album sold more than 30 million copies (making it one of the 40 best-selling discs of all time) and its 17-minute title track has become shorthand for acid-rock excess in dozens of films and TV shows. St. Louis native Douglas Lee Dorman traveled to California and joined the group in 1967; after Iron Butterfly broke up, he co-formed the band Captain Beyond, which released three albums (the Butterfly reformed without him in 1974 but didn't return to the charts). The Times cites a source noting that Dorman had suffered heart trouble for decades, and that this had prompted him to segue from music to other work, including conducting boat cruises and managing a bar. Our condolences to his family. (12/22p)