Gary Rossington, the sole surviving founding member of the American rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, passed away at the age of 71.
As a founding member of the band, he appeared on all of their albums and co-wrote their 1974 hit, Sweet Home Alabama.
In addition, he was one of the few survivors of a plane disaster in 1977 that killed several of his bandmates.
Rossington had been performing as recently as February despite having suffered from heart difficulties in recent years.
A message was posted on the band’s Facebook page “Gary Rossington, our brother, friend, family member, songwriter, and guitarist, passed away today. It is with profound sorrow that we inform you of his passing.
Gary is currently in heaven with his Skynyrd brothers and family, acting as he always has.
Rossington underwent heart surgery in 2021, according to a post from the band at the time of his death.
Rossington was born in Florida in 1951, and he co-founded the first version of Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1964 with drummer Bob Burns and bassist Larry Junstrom under the name Me, You, and Him.
During that summer, after a game degenerated into a jam session, they added singer Ronnie Van Zant, who played on an opposing baseball team.
That was a jab at their high school gym teacher, who was renowned for disciplining kids with long hair.
Free Bird
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In the southern states of America, the band’s defiant blues-rock gained them a formidable live reputation. Their debut album, named Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd, featured the nine-minute epic Free Bird, which featured the characteristic slide guitar technique of Rossington.
In an interview with Guitar World, the guitarist stated,
“We always thought back then we had a lot of balls, or gumption, or whatever you want to call it, for playing a song that long.”
“Singles are no longer than two or three minutes, and five is a bonus. The duration of Free Bird was nine minutes. Nobody will ever play that tune, they said. You people are nuts’.”
Nonetheless, an altered version of the song reached the top 20 in the United States, and after touring with The Who, Skynyrd gained a devoted fan base.
Sweet Home Alabama, a stinging response to Neil Young’s Southern Man, gave the band their first UK hit in 1974, peaking at number 31.
It is the most streamed song from 1974 in the United Kingdom due to its continued popularity.
Rossington co-wrote additional popular Skynyrd songs, such as I Ain’t The One, Things Going On, Don’t Ask Me No Questions, and Gimme Back My Bullets.
Rossington crashed his Ford Torino into a tree while under the influence of alcohol and drugs, inspiring Van Zant to create That Smell, a warning against the band’s hedonistic lifestyle.
The lyrics warned that “tomorrow may not be here for you” and that “the odor of death surrounds you.”
Three days after its release, an aircraft carrying the band between performances tragically crashed in Mississippi, killing Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, his sister and backup singer Cassie Gaines, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, and both pilots.
Rossington, who was knocked unconscious and awoke with the plane’s door on top of him, was among the twenty survivors.
Rossington told Rolling Stone in 2006, “I’ve talked about it here and there, but I don’t like to,” despite the fact that he has done so on occasion.
“It was a terrible event. You can’t just casually discuss it without having any feelings.”
After the catastrophe, the remaining members decided not to continue. The seriously injured Rossington had to relearn how to play with steel rods in his arm.
In the 1980s, he created The Rossington Collins Band with numerous former bandmates, until Lynyrd Skynyrd reassembled in 1987 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the plane accident, with Van Zant’s younger brother Johnny doing lead vocals.
In addition to being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 2006, the band continued to create nine studio albums and cycle through nearly 25 members.
They also performed at the 2016 Republican National Convention, where Donald Trump was nominated as the party’s presidential nominee.
‘So much delight’
The guitarist’s peers paid tribute to him. James Hetfield, the leader of Metallica, complimented Rossington for “giving me so much joy with your guitar playing and songwriting in one of my favorite bands of all time.”
Travis Tritt, a country music singer, said he was “heartbroken” and added:
“Gary was not only a friend, but also a collaborator who co-wrote songs with me and frequently played guitar with me in the studio and onstage. RIP.”
“The final member of the original Free Birds has returned home,” The Charlie Daniels Band wrote on Instagram.
In a Facebook post, the former bassist of Megadeth, David Ellefson, described his friendship with Rossington, recalling:
“Gary tried to keep his world small to the outside world, but he always included me and trusted me as a music companion…
“Sending sympathies and prayers to his family, friends, and band. His famous guitar playing will be greatly missed.”
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