Guitarist Gary Rossington, the last founding member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, died on Sunday at the age of 71, the American rock band announced.
Lynyrd Skynyrd, a southern rock group, is best known for two iconic songs, “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Free Bird.”
“Gary is in heaven now with his Skynyrd brothers and family and he’s playing well as he always does,” the band wrote on Facebook.
Lynyrd Skynyrd did not provide any information on the cause of death. According to a post from the band at the time, Rossington suffered from heart problems and underwent emergency heart surgery in 2021.
Born in Florida in 1951, Rossington formed the first iteration of Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1964 with drummer Bob Burns and bassist Larry Junstrom. His guitar solo on “Free Bird,” a nearly 10-minute song, is considered one of the greatest in rock history.
The guitarist survived several serious accidents in the 1970s, including a car accident in 1976 and the infamous 1977 plane crash that killed three band members.
The band had disbanded after vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist/vocalist Steve Gaines and backing vocalist Cassie Gaines died in the crash. But it had reformed by 1987 with new members including Van Zant’s younger brother Johnny on vocals.
Rossington was the sole surviving original member of the band, which has continued to perform and is set to tour in July.
Lynyrd Skynyrd is one of the right-wing rock groups who took the stage on the sidelines of the 2016 Republican Convention, during which Donald Trump was nominated as the United States presidential nominee.