Guitarist Gary Rossington, the only founding member of Lynyrd Skynyrd who is still alive, has died in the year 71, as reported in recent hours by the network of this American band, the author of hits such as Sweet Home Alabama.
“It is with great sadness that we have to announce the loss of our brother and friend, as well as a writer and guitarist. Gary is now with the rest of his Skynyrd brothers in heaven, playing beautifully as he always did,” reads the message, which requires the family to respect privacy.
The cause of death of the musician, who suffered a heart attack in 2015 and who had to undergo emergency cardiac surgery in 2021, has not been revealed.
Rossington (Jacksonville, 1951) founded Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1964 with vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, also guitarist Allen Collins, drummer Bob Burns and short Larry Junstrom, named after the group’s gym membership.
Turned into one of the most famous bands, with strong influences from southern rock, “blues” and “hard rock”, it was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016 and is estimated to have sales of around 28 million. in the United States only.
Already with their first album, Pronounced ‘lĕh-‘nerd’ skin-‘nerd (1973), the band gained some notoriety for what would become one of their classics, Free Birds, of which Rossington was a substantial part. a guitar from an emblematic piece.
Despite the problems with alcohol and drugs that he suffered in those early years and that inspired the theme of the group Odor, he became one of the most stable members of a band whose formation changed often.
One of these reforms was prompted by misfortune, when in 1977 he suffered a plane crash in which the singer died and in which he was one of the six survivors, although he suffered several fractures throughout his body, which did not prevent him from returning to work. . play time after
In addition to Lynyrd Skynyrd, for a few years he also played with The Rossington Collins Band, founded in 1980 with his former partner Allen Collins.
