Gary Rossington’s miraculous survival from a plane crash in October 1977 in which three of his bandmates perished has become legendary in the world of rock and roll. For decades, the Lynyrd Skynyrd founding member and guitarist seemed unbreakable despite his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction and a series of heart-related health crises.
Rossington, the only living original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd died Sunday, March 5, 2023 and at the time of death, he was only 71 years old.
A statement was released on the band’s official Facebook page confirming Rossington’s passing, “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”.
There was no indication of what actually caused the death. Rossington, originally from Jacksonville, Florida has spent time in both Jackson Hole, Wyoming and the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta.
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When did Gary Rossington Undergo Heart Surgery?
The guitarist had to miss the band’s “Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour” in 2021 due to his long history of heart problems which included quintuple bypass surgery in 2003, a serious heart attack in 2015, the implantation of a pacemaker, a heart valve replacement in 2019 and emergency heart surgery in June 2021.
The name of the tour was a tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s tragic “Street Survivors Tour” in 1977 renamed “Tour of the Survivors” after the tragic plane crash and an admission that the band’s time on the road was likely coming to an end.
A Southern rock powerhouse led by Rossington and featuring the late Ronnie Van Zant on vocals (he died in a plane crash after performing in Greenville, South Carolina) on guitar, Allen Collins on bass, Larry Junstrom on drums and Bob Burns on drums, the band was formed in 1964.
Lynyrd Skynyrd was formed in 1969 with Billy Powell on keyboards, Leon Wilkeson on bass and Ed King on guitar after about five years under the name My Backyard who left in 1975 and was replaced by Steve Gaines in 1976; Gaines and his sister Cassie died in the plane crash.
Before Artimus Pyle joined the band in 1974, drummer Burns had already left. Ronnie Van Zant’s brother Johnny has been fronting Lynyrd Skynyrd since 1987, Rickey Medlocke has been playing guitar since returning in 1996 and Michael Cartellone is banging the drums since 1999.
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