The guitar player for the iconic Southern rock group Lynyrd Skynyrd, Gary Rossington, passed away on Sunday. His death marked the end of the band’s existence since three of its members were killed in a plane accident in 1977. He was seventy-one.
Having been a founding member of the band, he contributed to all of their albums and co-wrote the smash song Sweet Home Alabama in 1974. In addition, he survived the 1977 aircraft disaster that claimed the lives of many band members.
Remembering Gary Rossington
The band announced his passing on their Facebook page, although they omitted the location of his passing. Even though Mr. Rossington had cardiac issues for years, no reason was offered. He was the only original band member still alive.
Rossington passed away on Sunday, over four months before the band was scheduled to start their upcoming tour; no cause of death was provided.
The musician has always struggled with health difficulties; in 2021. He underwent emergency cardiac surgery after suffering a heart attack in 2015.
Who was Gary Rossington?
Gary Rossington, who was born in 1951 in Jacksonville, Florida, has been a member of the group since 1964. When it consisted of drummer Bob Burns and bassist Larry Junstrom as a trio called Me, You, and Him. Rossington originally intended to play baseball, but after listening to the Rolling Stones, he became a music enthusiast.
But it was baseball that gave rise to Lynyrd Skynyrd: at a rival baseball game, Rossington, Burns, and Junstrom met vocalist Ronnie Van Zant. Who played on a different team, and the three of them jammed together in Burns’s parents’ carport.
After a few name revisions, they landed on Lynyrd Skynyrd, named after Leonard Skinner, a harsh teacher at Rossington’s school when he was 16 years old. Skinner had a zero-tolerance attitude for guys with long hair, such as Rossington, who was punished and eventually dropped out.
