Iron Butterfly - Iron Butterfly Rocker Larry Reinhardt Dead At 63

The rocker was admitted to hospital with an infection and other illnesses in his native Florida last week (ends30Dec11). He was moved into intensive care on 1 January (12) and died on Monday (02Jan12).

Reinhardt, who was fondly nicknamed El Rhino and Ryno, began his career as a member of The Second Coming with DICkey Betts and Berry Oakley before his bandmates went on to the join The Allman Brothers Band.

He replaced Erik Brann in Iron Butterfly in the 1970s and when the group split, he formed Captain Beyond with bandmate Lee Dorman and Deep Purple's Rod Evans.

He formed his own band, The Ryno Band, in 1979 and then went solo, releasing his final album, the aptly titled Rhino's Last Dance, in 2009.

Longtime friend and music collaborator Richard Price tells the Bradenton Herald newspaper, "He was a great friend and had a great sense of humour that DICkey Betts and I both loved. He was always there if you needed him.

"And he's truly in the top 10 of greatest Southern rock, psychedelic, blues-rock players. He’s up there with all the great rock players of his time."