Gary Rossington, the last original member of the band Lynyrd Skynyrd, a group he also helped found, died on Sunday aged 71. No cause of death has been reported.
“It is with our deepest sadness that we must report that today we lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist, Gary Rossington,” the band wrote on Facebook.
“Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and having a great time, like he always does. Please keep Dale, Mary, Annie and the entire Rossington family in your prayers and please respect the family’s privacy during this difficult time.”
Gary Rossington was one of the composers of Sweet home Alabamathe best known song of the group and one of the most famous in rock.
Heart problems
Gary Rossington was suffering from heart problems and underwent emergency heart surgery in 2021, according to a post from the band at the time.
Born in 1951 in Florida, Rossington formed the first iteration of Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1964 with drummer Bob Burns and bassist Larry Junstrom. His guitar solo in Free birda nearly ten-minute song, it is considered one of the best in rock history.
A band with several dead
the guitarist it has survived several serious accidents in the 1970s, including an automobile accident in 1976 and the infamous 1977 plane crash in which three gang members died.
The group disbanded after vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist/vocalist Steve Gaines and backing vocalist Cassie Gaines were killed in the crash. But they decided to get back together in 1987 with new members, including Van Zant’s younger brother Johnny singing.
Rossington was the only original member to survive the accident and continue to perform with Lynyrd Skynyrd afterward. This July they plan to start a new tour.
Lynyrd Skynyrd is the band that wrote the classic song Sweet home Alabamato which Serú Girán (the band led by Charly García, David Lebón, Pedro Aznar and Oscar Moro) was inspired for one of his most famous creations, encounter with the devilwhich would be based on a meeting of the members of the group with the authorities of the military dictatorship that has devastated Argentina.
And it is also the inspiration of the theme Sweet home Buenos Airesby Javier Calamaro, whose verse alludes to Charly García (“Mr. Charly García founded this city…).
Source: Clarin
