- Gary Rossington was one of the original members of the band Lynyrd Skynyrd.
- He played in several projects outside of Southern rock groups.
- Gary passed away on Sunday, March 5th.
Founder Lynyrd Skynyrd’s guitarist Gary Rossington died at the age of 71.Classic his rocker’s passing was announced in a statement from the band Facebook “We lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist Gary Rossington today,” the band wrote. “Gary is now in heaven with his Skynyrd brothers and family, performing beautifully as usual.”
The band also asked fans to think and pray for Gary’s family and to respect their privacy. Find out everything you need to know about Gary here.
1. Gary was the last surviving original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd
Gary was one of the original members of the band and formed the group with the singer. Ronnie Van Zandt bassist Larry Janstrom drummer Bob Burns and fellow guitarist Allen Collins 1964. All of the original bandmates were students at Robert E. Lee High School. Ronnie and Allen were consistent members of the group with Gary on his first five albums, including “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Free”, on which Gary performed the iconic slide his guitar riff. It also included hit songs such as “Bird”. In 1977, the band’s charter plane crashed, killing Ronnie and his bandmates. steve and Cassie Gaines. Gary remembered waking up with the plane door overhead after the 2018 crash. interviewHe said his mother visited him at the hospital while he was in the hospital and asked if anyone had died. I was really surprised because I thought that if he died, everyone else would die,” he said.
After many members died, the group disbanded until 1987, reuniting with new members, including Ronnie’s younger brother. Johnny. When Larry Janstrom died in 2019, Gary became the last surviving member of the group.
2. Playing with the Rossington Collins Band
During Skynyrd’s hiatus, Gary and his bandmate Allen Collins formed the Rossington Collins Band with other surviving members in 1979. Billy Powell and Leon Wilkeson. The band has released two albums: 1980’s anytime, anywhere, anywhere and the 1981s This is the way.
After two albums, Gary married and formed the Rossington Band with his wife. Dale Krantz Recorded 3 albums: 1986’s back to the crime scene 1988’s love your manand 2016 have faith
3. He was suspended from school for his long hair.
Gary’s closeness to Ronnie Van Zandt and his family is well documented. Early in his career, Gary was reportedly suspended for his long hair, and Ronnie’s father Lacey Van Zandt went to help his son’s friend and bandmate, according to new york timesAccording to Lacy’s obituary, he told the principal that as the son of a single mother, Gary helped his family by playing music and that long hair was “part of the job.”
4. Had a heart attack in 2015
Gary’s cause of death has not been made public, but the guitarist has faced a string of health issues in recent years. His family announced he suffered a heart attack in October 2015 after several heart complications over the years, including having a stent and a quintuple bypass in 2003. clarified. Ultimate classic rock. One of his daughters said, “Please keep him and us in your prayers and all the wonderful medical staff who have saved his life several times.
Recently, the band Facebook Gary posted that he underwent emergency heart surgery in July 2021. As he recovered, the band continued playing without a guitarist. “After the country shut down last year and everything we all went through, Rossington encouraged the band to play in his absence,” they said.
5. He was married and had two daughters
As mentioned above, Gary married his wife Dale in 1982 and formed a band with them.The pair had two daughters, one of whom they kept very secretive, while the other Mary Elizabeth Rossington When the Rossington Band released their 2016 album, Dale revealed one of his daughters-inspired songs in an interview. rock cellar. “There’s one thing that’s fun and crazy. [song] It’s called “Dance While You’re Cookin'”. I cheated on it a little. The song is that I am singing to my daughters. Or maybe they’re singing,” she said.
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