Gary Rossington

Gary Rossington, founding member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, has died. "Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven," the band's statement read.

Drummer Burns left the band in 1974 and was [replaced by Artimus Pyle](https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2017/08/29/judge-lynyrd-skynyrd-film-violates-3-decade-old-agreement/105078536/). “We had a dream back in the day to be in a big band and make it and then it was taken away from (some of) them real quick. [If I leave here tomorrow: Highlights of Lynyrd Skynyrd documentary](https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2018/08/17/what-things-we-learned-lynyrd-skynyrd-documentary/1005540002/) Of Rossington’s innumerable contributions to Lynyrd Skynyrd, his slide guitar work in the everlasting opus “Free Bird” underscores his importance to the band’s sound. Just being able to talk about Ronnie and Allen (Collins, who died in 1990) and share their music with the audience,” Rossington said. (Those who died in the plane crash), they didn’t get a chance to see how Skynyrd developed, how ‘Free Bird’ became an anthem. The band was inducted into the "Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does." "It is with our deepest sympathy and sadness that we have to advise, that we lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist, Gary Rossington, today," the statement said. [Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.](https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/lynyrd-skynyrd) [The roots: Lynyrd Skynyrd's history in Jacksonville](https://stories.usatodaynetwork.com/lynyrdskynyrd/) [guitarist Ed King](https://www.tennessean.com/picture-gallery/entertainment/music/2018/08/23/ed-king-of-lynyrd-skynyrd-over-the-years/37578693/) (who left in 1975 and was replaced by Steve Gaines in 1976; Gaines and his sister Cassie died in the plane crash). The tour’s name was both a nod to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ill-fated 1977 “Street Survivors Tour” (which was changed to “Tour of the Survivors” following the devastating plane crash) and the realization that the band’s road tenure was likely sunsetting.

The only member of the US rock band to appear on all of its albums, Rossington survived the 1977 plane crash that killed several of his bandmates.

Twenty people on the plane survived, including Rossington, who was knocked unconscious; he awoke with the plane’s door on top of him. Johnny Van Zant – Ronnie’s brother and Skynyrd’s frontman since 1977 – once said: “I don’t think you can have Lynyrd Skynyrd without Gary Rossington.” Skinner had a zero-tolerance policy for boys with long hair – like Rossington, who was suspended and soon dropped out of school. Rossington co-wrote Sweet Home Alabama, a hit from their second album, as well as several other Skynyrd tracks, including I Ain’t The One, Things Goin’ On, Don’t Ask Me No Questions and Gimme Back My Bullets. Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does.” “I’m just an old guitar player, and we’ve spent our whole lives and the 10,000 hours of working to understand how to play and do it.

Guitarist Gary Rossington, the last surviving founding member of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, has died, the band announced on their official Facebook ...

Soon, the trio was joined by guitarist Allen Collins and bassist Larry Junstrom, and the crew performed under a handful of names before landing on Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1969. “Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does. [inducted](https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/lynyrd-skynyrd) into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006 and contributed to many of the group’s most iconic songs, including “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Free Bird.”

Gary Rossington, the last surviving original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the guitarist and co-writer of rock classics like "Free Bird," has died.

Rossington further acknowledged the severity of his heart problems but said, “I don’t know how to do anything else but play… The songs and the music. “I don’t want to just say, ‘Well, we’re never going to end,’ because I don’t want to die and then it end that way. I took a screwdriver, of all things, and stuck it under the strings up at the nut, so it would raise the strings up like a steel guitar. In the 21st century, the group took on more of an image as politically right-leaning, between playing for a Republican convention event, putting out a 2009 album titled “God and Guns” and, as they had since the beginning, displaying the Confederate flag on stage. With the group having booked two tours since then, the “farewell” tag would seem to have been hasty. Then, I tuned the B string down to G — so the G and the B strings were both tuned to G. “I think the good outweighs the bad.” “I think a lot of bands are just copying us,” he told My Backyard spent five years touring bars and small venues throughout the South, with Rossington’s instrument of choice being a 1959 Gibson Les Paul named “Berniece” (in honor of his mother). “Me, Allen [Collins] and Ronnie started this band with a dream of making it big, and that dream came true. A week ago, in response to online fan queries about when or whether the guitarist would be returning to the touring lineup, the official Skynyrd Facebook account replied: “Gary will come to shows for guest appearances as he is feeling well and able.

Rossington's evocative slide playing on his Gibson SG helped make “Free Bird” the group's calling card. Lynyrd Skynyrd Guitarist Gary Rossington Dies.

“I don’t think of it as tragedy — I think of it as life,” he said upon the group’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2006. Adopting Lynyrd Skynyrd as the group’s name — both a reference to a similarly named sports coach at Rossington’s high school and to a character in the 1963 novelty hit “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh” — the band released their debut album (Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ’Skin-’nérd) in 1973. “It is with our deepest sympathy and sadness that we have to advise, that we lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist, Gary Rossington, today,” the band wrote on Facebook.

The founding member and guitarist, who provided the seagull-like slide guitar leads to Skynyrd's signature “Free Bird,” survived the band's infamous 1977 ...

The Rossington-Collins Band split in the early Eighties, and Rossington and some of his former Lynyrd Skynyrd bandmates staged a tribute tour to their long-gone comrades in 1987, with Johnny Vant Zant on vocals. “I don’t think of it as tragedy — I think of it as life,” he said upon the group’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2006. “I think the good outweighs the bad.” Adopting Lynyrd Skynyrd as the group’s name — both a reference to a similarly named sports coach at Rossington’s high school and to a character in the 1963 novelty hit “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh” — the band released their debut album (Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd) in 1973. The tour eventually evolved into various incarnations of Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the band amassed a new generation of fans, even if they struggled at times to navigate a changing culture. Along with Allen Collins, Rossington formed the Rossington-Collins Band in 1980, releasing the LP Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere that same year, and the follow-up This Is the Way in 1981. Singles are only two, three minutes at the most, and five is lucky,” Rossington said in an We went to Atlanta to make it out of the clubs there, because there was really only one club in Jacksonville at the time.” Rossington, Burns, Van Zant, and guitarist Allen Collins gathered that afternoon at Burns’ Jacksonville home to jam the Rolling Stone’s “Time Is on My Side.” An early version of Lynyrd Skynyrd was born. [Larry Junstrom](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/larry-junstrom-lynyrd-skynyrd-bassist-dead-obit-895582/), Rossington and his new friends formed a band, which they tried to juggle amid their love of baseball. [told Rolling Stone](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/rock-band-tours-without-original-members-allman-brothers-1234637630/) in 2006 of the crash, a mysterious part of rock & roll lore. Rossington was Lynyrd Skynyrd’s last surviving original member, a stoic figure who preferred to let his guitar do the talking and who cheated death more than once.

Rossington was the last surviving original founding member of the Southern rock band, known for its anthemic "Free Bird," among many other hit songs.

"I don't think of it as tragedy — I think of it as life," he said upon the group's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2006. A collection of country-tinged blues-rock and Southern soul, the album included now-classics like "Tuesday's Gone," "Simple Man" and "Gimme Three Steps," but it was the closing track, the nearly 10-minute "Free Bird," that became the group's calling card, due in no small part to Rossington's evocative slide playing on his Gibson SG. "It was a devastating thing," he told Rolling Stone in 2006. According to Rolling Stone, it was during a fateful Little League game, Ronnie Van Zant hit a line drive into the shoulder blades of opposing player Bob Burns and met his future bandmates. He survived a car accident in 1976 in which he drove his Ford Torino into a tree, inspiring the band's cautionary song "That Smell." "It is with our deepest sympathy and sadness that we have to advise, that we lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist, Gary Rossington, today," the band wrote on Facebook.

Guitarist Gary Rossington, the last remaining original member of US rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, has died at the age of 71. One of the band's founding members, he appeared on all of their albums and co-wrote the 1974 hit Sweet Home Alabama.

[In a post on Facebook,](https://www.facebook.com/davidellefson/posts/pfbid02YQJJJMtJQ5CLkyVHAyDqF4NGivtV4TsfPCJ5TdpojMHXUPiG4PhCd7VoME4sapEHl) former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson detailed his friendship with Rossington, recalling: "It seemed Gary kept his world small to the outside world but he always let me in it and trusted me as a music buddy... To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. Rossington, who was severely injured, had to learn to play again with steel rods in his arm. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read "It was a devastating thing. "Singles are only two, three minutes at the most, and five is lucky. [Skip instagram post by metallica](#end-of-instagram-content-1) You guys are crazy'." [said he was "heartbroken"](https://twitter.com/Travistritt/status/1632563769078435841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw), adding: "Gary was not only a friend, but a collaborator that wrote songs with me and played guitar with me in studio recordings and onstage so many times. The lyrics cautioned that "tomorrow might not be here for you" and "the smell of death surrounds you". [A statement on the band's Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/LynyrdSkynyrd/posts/pfbid02jkWSTqfygP7cVGb4dWBge5ggpWTQRf6MmVwozNhaWQ8McgqTHEs4sWKYdwwswyrCl) said: "It is with our deepest sympathy and sadness that we have to advise, that we lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist, Gary Rossington, today.

'Sweet Home Alabama' guitarist was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.

[Wayfair Coupon - 20% Off Sitewide](https://www.wsj.com/coupons/wayfair) No cause of death was given. Rossington, who was 71 years old, died on Sunday, the group said in a Facebook post.

Gary Rossington, the guitarist of Lynyrd Skynyrd, has died at 71. Rossington was the last surviving original member of the band, outlasting an infamous 1977 ...

After being signed by Blood, Sweat & Tears’ Al Kooper in 1972, Skynyrd released their debut, (Pronounced ‘Leh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd), in 1973, cementing their legacy as one of southern rock’s biggest bands with hits like “Simple Man” and “Gimme Three Steps.” Most notably, that album featured (As part of a settlement with the widows of two original members, Rossington was required to be a member of any future iterations of Skynyrd.) Since reuniting, Skynyrd has continued to record and tour through today. Rossington broke two arms and a leg and punctured multiple organs in the crash, and was left to carry on his band’s legacy when they reformed in 1987, as one of the only pre-crash members and the only original one.

Gary Rossington, the last surviving original member and original guitarist for the rock band Lynard Skynard, passed away at the age of 71 yesterday.

RIP Gary Rossington, God Bless the Lynyrd Gary was not only a friend, but a collaborator that wrote songs with me and played guitar with me in studio recordings and onstage so many times. Photo via Lynard Skynard Official Facebook Page

Charlie Starr, of Southern rock band Blackberry Smoke remembers Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington, who died at 71.

That’s another hook to the song. It’s another verse to the song. Think about Ronnie saying, “Play it pretty for Atlanta” [during “Free Bird” at the Fox Theatre in 1976]. The song is not “Free Bird” without that part. We asked Starr to explain Lynyrd Skynyrd’s impact, dissect Rossington’s approach to his instrument, and unravel the mysteries of the guitarist’s signature slide intro to [“Free Bird.”](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/lynyrd-skynyrd-first-show-back-free-bird-1180286/) “I said, ‘What does he want me to play?’ She said, ‘He said to play the blues.’ And I got that because that’s where Gary came from,” Starr says, calling from Zurich, Switzerland, where Blackberry Smoke are about to perform. When you listen to “Free Bird,” his playing sounds like a bird singing to you. “After they walked down the aisle, Gary yelled over to me, ‘OK, play the blues now!’ and so I did. Listen to the solo for “Don’t Ask Me No Questions,” too. “I’ll carry that with me forever.” They were all so different, starting with And those songs are like Beatles and Stones songs — they’re accessible.

Gary Rossington, a co-founder and last surviving original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, died Sunday at age 71. No cause of death was given.

Young liked the song and wrote in his memoir “Waging Heavy Peace” that his song “Alabama” deserved the shot from Lynyrd Skynyrd. “We had a dream,” Rossington said. But he added: “I’m sure if you asked the other guys who are not with us anymore and are up in rock and roll heaven, they have their story of how it came about.” “Sweet Home Alabama” references both Young and Alabama Gov. Rossington, Burns, Van Zant, and guitarist Allen Collins later gathered at Burns’ Jacksonville home to jam the Rolling Stone’s “Time Is on My Side.” “Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does.”

The last surviving original member of the classic Southern rock group, he played the soaring slide guitar solo on “Free Bird” and co-wrote “Sweet Home ...

Mr. In 1976 Mr. Rossington and Mr. In a 1993 interview with The Associated Press, Mr. In 1987, the 10th anniversary of the crash, Mr. Van Zant; Mr. Van Zant and Mr. “We came in and did Yardbirds and Stones. “We do it now as an instrumental,” Mr. The band, playing countless bar dates around Florida and eventually beyond, evolved into a seven-piece with three guitars — Mr. The band’s breakthrough came in 1973, when the musician and producer Al Kooper caught a show in Atlanta, liked what he heard and signed the group to his Sounds of the South label. [a portrait of the band](https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/lynyrd-skynyrd) written for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which inducted the group in 2006, another teenager, Ronnie Van Zant, was playing in a baseball game when he hit a foul ball that struck a spectator, Mr.

Artimus Pyle, who drummed for Lynyrd Skynyrd for the bulk of the Seventies, pays tribute to Gary Rossington: 'Fly high, our free bird brother.'

We liked a lot of the same things — listening to Jeff Beck at his house on his gigantic stereo, out on the water in his boat, riding horses together.” “As it turns out, being the last living member of Lynyrd Skynyrd is not all it’s cracked up to be,” Pyle says. He’s also the last survivor of the band’s “Everyone will remember Gary as a road dog, trouper, songwriter, and one of the greatest guitar players that ever lived. Perhaps best known for his slide-guitar work on Skynyrd’s immortal “Free Bird,” Rossington was the last founding member of the Southern-rock titans. And I will cherish these texts for the rest of my life,” Pyle, who replaced original drummer Bob Burns in 1975, tells Rolling Stone over the phone from his home in rural North Carolina.

Peter Frampton, Paul Rodgers, The Allman Brothers Band and more also took to social media to pay tribute to the rockstar.

Please keep Dale, Mary and Annie and the entire Rossington family in your prayers and respect the family’s privacy at this time.” “It’s painful, and I’m trying to process it and deal with it.” [wrote that](https://www.facebook.com/LynyrdSkynyrd/posts/765593788258088), “It is without deepest sympathy and sadness that we have to advise, that we lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist, [Gary Rossington](https://www.billboard.com/t/gary-rossington/) today. “As it turns out, being the last living member of “Everyone will remember Gary as a road dog, trouper, songwriter, and one of the greatest guitar players that ever lived. Following the news, Artimus Pyle, who drummed for the rock band during the 1970’s, paid tribute to his late bandmate.

Rossington was the last surviving original founding member of the Southern rock band, known for its anthemic "Free Bird," among many other hit songs.

"I don't think of it as tragedy — I think of it as life," he said upon the group's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2006. A collection of country-tinged blues-rock and Southern soul, the album included now-classics like "Tuesday's Gone," "Simple Man" and "Gimme Three Steps," but it was the closing track, the nearly 10-minute "Free Bird," that became the group's calling card, due in no small part to Rossington's evocative slide playing on his Gibson SG. "It was a devastating thing," he told Rolling Stone in 2006. According to Rolling Stone, it was during a fateful Little League game, Ronnie Van Zant hit a line drive into the shoulder blades of opposing player Bob Burns and met his future bandmates. He survived a car accident in 1976 in which he drove his Ford Torino into a tree, inspiring the band's cautionary song "That Smell." "It is with our deepest sympathy and sadness that we have to advise, that we lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist, Gary Rossington, today," the band wrote on Facebook.