Los Angeles, July 29: Former Iron Butterfly lead guitarist Erik Braunn, who led the acid rock band to the heights of their success with the 1968 anthem ''In-a-gadda-da-vida", has died at age of 52.
Braunn, a San Diego native who joined the Los Angeles rock group
in 1967 at age 16, died on Friday of heart failure, the Los Angeles
times reported yesterday. His death was later reported on the band's
official web site.
Braunn stayed with the band just two years, long enough to
experience superstardom at the release of their 17-minute opus whose
title was translated as ''In the garden of Eden.''
''In-a-gadda-da-vida", featuring Braunn on lead guitar, sold
four million copies and spent more than a year as a top ten record.
During a 1988 comeback attempt, Braunn told the Times that the
mega-success and a heavy touring schedule so early in his career
took a toll on his personal life.
Bureau Report
