Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist and founding member Gary Rossington is no longer with us.
Rossington died yesterday at the age of 71.
A rep for the band explained, "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."
Tinkering in the recording studio he came up with the basis of what would be their biggest single, Sweet Home Alabama. The band was named after Gary Rossington's high school gym teacher in Jacksonville Florida, Leonard Skinner.
Gary is survived by his wife of over 40 years, singer Dale Krantz Rossington and their two daughters.
Check out the video below from when Lynyrd Skynyrd was in the bay area performing at the Oakland Coliseum in 1977, they played with Peter Frampton. Gary is the one in the black and white flowered shirt with the long hair playing the guitar solo around 2:40 in.
His cause of death has not yet been revealed but he had an emergency heart procedure in 2019.
Photo Credit: Getty