R.I.P. Gary Rossington, Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist and rock legend

Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington, the last surviving founding member of the seminal Southern rock band, has died, the band announced on Sunday evening. Rossington was 71 years old.

“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,” a statement shared via the band’s official Facebook page reads. “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.”

Although the band offered no official cause of death, Rossington had struggled with his heart in recent years, undergoing emergency heart surgery in 2021 in the midst of the group’s Big Wheels Keep on Turnin’ Tour.

Heart surgery wasn’t Rossington’s first brush with mortality. In 1977, just three days after the release of “Street Survivors,” he survived a plane crash that killed fellow band members Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines. Backup singer Cassie Gaines (Steve’s sister), road manager Dean Kilpatrick, and both pilots also lost their lives. In the wake of the tragedy, the band disbanded for a decade before reuniting for a 1987 tribute tour.

Rossington, Van Zant, and Bob Burns founded Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1964. Per the band’s website, the trio met while competing on rival baseball teams. After adding guitarist Allen Collins and bassist Larry Junstrom to the mix, the group shuffled through various names before settling on Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1969.

The rest was history. A Rock ‘N Roll Hall Of Fame member since 2006, Rossington contributed to some of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s most enduring tracks, including “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Free Bird.” Through his aforementioned family and his contributions to rock history, despite his passing, Rossington’s legacy shows no signs of disappearing.