Lee Dorman, Bassist For Iron Butterfly, dies at 70

Lee Dorman, who played bass for the psychedelic rock band Iron Butterfly, has died at age 70.

A spokeswoman for the Orange County sheriff's office, Gail Krause, told press that Dorman was found dead in a vehicle Friday morning (Dec 21). His body is currently being investigated by the local coroner, although no instances of foul play are suspected to have happened. Krause also said that upon his death, Dorman may have been attempting to reach a doctor's or a hospital.

Dorman was not amongst the original members of Iron Butterfly when they formed in 1966, but did join up with the band a year later, following the recording of the band's first album Heavy. He remained with the band during their most prominent rise to fame in the late 1960s and early 170s until they disbanded in 1971. He rejoined Iron Butterfly in 1975 after they had already been reunited for a year, staying with the band and its various incarnations until they broke up again in 1985. Upon their third incarnation in 1987, Dorman performed with them more often than not, sporadically leaving the band by mutual consent from then until 2012.

Despite a lifespan of more than three decades, the band will perhaps be best known for their second album, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, and its mammoth 17-minute single of the same name. The album has so far sold more than 30 million copies, according to their official website.