Lynyrd Skynyrd’s last original member, Gary Rossington, died on Sunday (March 5). He was 71. The cause of his death has yet to be given, though he did suffer from heart ailments. A founding member of the legendary Southern rock band, Rossington also survived plane and car crashes.
The band announced the news of Rossington’s death on Facebook. “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. Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does. Please keep Dale, Mary, Annie and the entire Rossington family in your prayers and respect the family’s privacy at this difficult time.”
Videos by American Songwriter
Born in Jacksonville, Florida, on December 4, 1951, the slide guitar player boasted the longest tenure in the band. He became the last surviving original member in 2009, following the death of keyboardist Billy Powell. He was also part of The Rossington Band and The Rossington Collins Band.
Rossington’s slide playing is featured prominently on many Lynyrd Skynyrd songs, including “Free Bird.” The musician famously survived a car accident in 1976 after driving his Ford into a tree. The incident reportedly inspired the band’s song, “That Smell.” A year later, Rossington survived a plane crash that took the lives of several band members, including singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and backing vocalist Cassie Gaines. Rossington walked away with a few broken limbs and a punctured stomach and liver.
Speaking about the crash to Rolling Stone in 2006, Rossington said, “I’ve talked about it here and there, but I don’t like to. It was a devastating thing. You can’t just talk about it real casual and not have feelings about it.”
In 2015, the guitar player endured a heart attack, which caused Lynyrd Skynyrd concerts to be canceled. In 2021, he underwent emergency heart surgery.
“I don’t get enough oxygen in my blood to keep up and keep going like normal,” he told Rolling Stone in 2022. “But I can still play good. It’s just the travel. It’s so hard on me, especially when you got heart trouble. It’s just really hard traveling and getting by with that stuff.”
Rossington is survived by his two daughters, Mary and Annie, and wife, singer Dale Krantz-Rossington.
(Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)
More Features
-
American Country musician Kenny Rogers (1938 – 2020) performs onstage at Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, September 26, 1980. (Photo by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images) -
American country and western singer and musician Johnny Cash (1932 – 2003) performs on stage at the Painters Mill Music Far in Owing Mills, Maryland, September 29, 1977. He is strumming a guitar and standing in front of a microphone. Bassist Marshall Grant (1928 – 2011) of Cashs backing band The Tennessee Three plays behind him on the right. (Photo by Leffler/Library of Congress/Interim Archives/Getty Images) -
MTV Founder Bob Pittman, New York, New York, January 18, 1983. (Photo by Allan Tannenbaum/Getty Images) -
NEW YORK – JANUARY 6: Rock and roll musician Elvis Presley performs on stage with his back up singers The Jordanaires on the Ed Sullivan Show on January 6, 1957 in New York City, New York. On the left are Jordanaires Neal Matthews Jr (1929 – 2000, far left) and Gordon Stoker (1925 – 2013). (Photo by Steve Oroz/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) -
Seminal American rock group The Byrds consisted originally of Jim (Roger) McGuinn, born 1942, David Crosby, born 1941, Michael Clark, born 1944, Chris Hillman, born 1944 and Gene Clark, born 1941. Their folk and pyschedelic tinged music was popular and influential during the late 1960s and early 1970s. (Photo by © Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images) -
From left, Paul McCartney (playing a Hofner 500/1 violin bass guitar) and John Lennon (playing a Gibson J-160E acoustic guitar) of English rock and pop group The Beatles perform on stage for the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) music television show 'Shindig!' at Granville Studios in Fulham, London on 3rd October 1964. The band would play three songs on the show, Kansas City/hey-Hey-Hey!, I'm a Loser and Boys. (Photo by David Redfern/Redferns) -
ATLANTA, GA – FEBRUARY 20: (EDITORS NOTE: Image has digital treatments) Jerry Douglas, Jeff White, Johnny Warren and Shawn Camp of Earls of Leicester perform at City Winery on February 20, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by R. Diamond/Getty Images)
