Gary Rossington, the last remaining original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, has died at age 76.
The band announced Gary’s passing on their socials:
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.
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.
Rossington co-wrote Lynyrd Skynyrd’s best known song ‘Sweet Home Alabama’, a response to Neil Young’s ‘Alabama’ where Neil blamed the South for slavery.
Well, I heard Mister Young sing about her
Well, I heard ol’ Neil put her down
Well, I hope Neil Young will remember
A Southern man don’t need him around anyhow
Neil apologised in his 2012 autobiography ‘Waging Heavy peace’ saying “My own song ‘Alabama’ richly deserved the shot Lynyrd Skynyrd gave me with their great record. I don’t like my words when I listen to it. They are accusatory and condescending, not fully thought out, and too easy to misconstrue.”
Co-founder Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines died in a plane crash in 1977. Original bass player Lawrence Junstrom died in 2019. Original drummer Bob Burns died in 2015. Guitarist Allen Collins died in 1990.
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