News

When Artimus Pyle, the drummer of Lynyrd Skynyrd for the bulk of the Seventies, heard the news yesterday about the death of his former bandmate, guitarist Gary Rossington, he immediately pulled up the last text messages between the two.

“I’ve already gone back, looked at them, and read the entire thread between Gary and I. And I will cherish these texts for the rest of my life,” Pyle, who replaced original drummer Bob Burns in 1975, tells Rolling Stone over the phone from his home in rural North Carolina.

Rossington...

Guitarist and songwriter Gary Rossington, the last original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, who survived their 1977 plane crash and played with the band until this year, died Sunday. He was 71.

“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,” the band wrote on its official Facebook page. “Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does.”

Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story Lynyrd Skynyrd Guitarist Gary Rossington Recovering After Emergency Heart Surgery Related Story Lynyrd Skynyrd Biopic Producer Slams Band Suit As Attacking Freedom Of Speech

No other details were provided.

Rossington was badly injured in the 1977 plane crash that killed four members of the legendary Southern rock band including frontman Ronnie Van Zant. Rossington broke both of his legs,...

Gary Rossington, guitarist and longest-tenured original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, has died at the age of 71.

“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,” the band announced on Sunday (March 5th). “Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does.”

Rossington formed Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1964 with childhood friends Ronnie Van Zant (singer-songwriter), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom (bass), and Bob Burns (drums). The band spent a number of years touring small venues under various names and with several lineup changes before being discovered by Al Kooper of Blood, Sweat & Tears. Lynyrd Skynyrd released their debut in 1973 with a lineup featuring Rossington, Van Zant, Collins, and Burns, along with guitarist Ed King and keyboardist Billy Powell. Burns left in 1974 and was replaced by Artimus Pyle,...

Gary Rossington, a founding member of Lynyrd Skynyrd whose ethereal slide guitar helped make the Southern rock band’s song “Free Bird” an indelible anthem, died Sunday at the age of 71.

“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,” the band wrote on Facebook. “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...

Lynyrd Skynyrd will revisit a classic Seventies performance with the release of a new DVD, CD, and LP set. Lynyrd Skynyrd: Live at Knebworth ‘76 arrives April 9th.

The concert was recorded at the long-running Knebworth, England, festival on August 21st, 1976, with a classic Skynyrd lineup of singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarists Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, and Steve Gaines, bassist Leon Wilkeson, drummer Artimus Pyle, keyboardist Billy Powell, and backing vocalists the Honkettes. Van Zant and Gaines would be among those who died in the band’s tragic plane crash a year later.

Larry Junstrom, a founding member of Lynyrd Skynyrd and the longtime bassist for .38 Special, has died, according to a post on .38 Special’s Facebook page. He was 70.

Junstrom was in an early incarnation of Skynyrd, with singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitar players Gary Rossington and Allen Collins, and drummer Bob Burns. He exited the band prior to the recording of their debut album, 1973’s Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd, which made way for Leon Wilkeson to join as bassist.

In 1977, Junstrom enlisted in another Southern rock band, the Donnie Van Zant-fronted .38 Special,...

Ed King, the Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist who joined the band in 1972 to give the Southern rock group its iconic three-guitar sound, died Wednesday in Nashville. He was 68. A cause of death was not specified, though King had been battling lung cancer and had recently been hospitalized for the disease.

A message on King’s Facebook confirmed his death: “It is with great sorrow we announce the passing of Ed King who died at his home in Nashville, Tennessee on August 22nd, 2018. We thank his many friends and fans for their...