Gary Rossington , guitarist and founding member of Lynyrd Skynyrd , has died at the age of 71. The cause of death has not been revealed.
“It is with our deepest empathy and sadness that we inform you that we lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist, Gary Rossington, today,” the band announced last Sunday, March 5th. “Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing well, as he always does.”
Rossington formed Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1964 with childhood friends Ronnie Van Zant (vocalist, songwriter), Allen Collins (guitarist), Larry Junstrom (bassist), and Bob Burns (drummer). Burns left in 1974 and was replaced by Artimus Pyle , and King left in 1975 and was replaced by Steve Gaines.
He played slide guitar on the band's signature song, "Free Bird," and was the lead guitarist on "Simple Man," which he also co-wrote with Van Zant. He also had songwriting credits on "Sweet Home Alabama" and "What's Your Name."
In 1976, Rossington and Collins were involved in a near-fatal car accident, inspiring Van Zant to write the song "That Smell" about the band member's excessive drug and alcohol use.
The following year, Van Zant, Gaines, backup singer Cassie Gaines , and three others died in a plane crash. Rossington was among the survivors, but suffered severe injuries, breaking his arms, legs, wrists, and ankles, as well as his pelvis. The accident marked the end of Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Rossington continued to play music after the accident, forming The Rossington Collins Band with Collins, Powell, and Leon Wilkeson , along with vocalist Dale Krantz . After a disagreement with Collins over his romantic interest in Krantz, Rossington reformed The Rossington Band.
In 1987, Rossington reunited with Powell, Wilkeson, Pyle, and King for a Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute tour. The group remained an active band for the next three decades, touring and releasing music regularly. Rossington remained a constant in the lineup and, with the deaths of Collins in 1990, Powell in 2009, and Burns in 2015, he was the last surviving original member of the band. Lynyrd Skynyrd announced a farewell tour in 2018, but continued to perform live into early 2023.
Alongside Van Zant, Collins, King, Gaines, Powell, Wilkeson, Burns, and Pyle, Rossington was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Lynyrd Skynyrd in 2006.
