Iron Butterfly drummer Ron Bushy has died, age 79

In a tribute, the band described him as "a real fighter"

Ron Bushy, the drummer for ‘In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida’ hitmakers Iron Butterfly, has passed away. He was 79 years old.

The band confirmed Bushy’s passing in a Facebook post yesterday (August 29). Though a cause of death has not been revealed at this time, TMZ reports that he had been battling “some form of cancer”.

“Ron Bushy our beloved legendary drummer of Iron Butterfly has passed away peacefully, with his wife Nancy by his side, at 12:05am on August 29th at UCLA Santa Monica Hospital,” the post read.

“All three of his daughters were also with him. He was a real fighter. He was born Dec 23, 1941. He will be deeply missed!”

View the band’s post below:

Ron Bushy our beloved legendary drummer of Iron Butterfly has passed away peacefully, with his wife Nancy by his side,…

Posted by Iron Butterfly on Sunday, August 29, 2021

The band released six albums between 1968 and 1975, with Bushy being the only one of the band’s many former members to appear on all of them.

1968 saw the release of their debut album ‘Heavy’ as well as its follow-up ‘In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida’. The latter’s title track became a chart hit for Iron Butterfly, reaching the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 and including a now legendary drum solo from Bushy.

‘In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida’, the album, sold over eight million copies in the US in its first year of release, reportedly outselling every record in the history of recorded music to that time. Bushy retired from playing full-time in 2010.

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