So it goes on with Lynyrd Skynyrd

Gary Rossington, the last remaining founding member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, passed away on March 5th. However, the group will continue to carry on under their name, according to a press release from the band. The southern rockers will also stick to their scheduled tour dates including their co-headlining tour with ZZ Top this summer. This decision is made both in the interest of the group and in the interest of the numerous fans, it is said.

Gary Rossington died at the age of 71, the cause of his death has not yet been clarified. After the former singer of the band Ronnie Van Zant, the former guitarist Steve Gaines and his sister Cassie Gaines died in a plane crash in 1977, Ronnie Van Zant’s younger brother, Johnny Van Zant, took over the vocals. He said of Rossington that Gary was more to him than just a brother, bandmate and friend. “We’ve laughed, we’ve fallen, we’ve cried, we’ve made up, and we’ve shared the stage for the past 36 years,” Van Zant said in a statement. Gary Rossington “left us all a legacy of music that has stood the test of time,” Van Zant said.

Lynyrd Skynyrd’s music is bigger than its members

Rossington’s widow, who is also backup singer for Lynyrd Skynyrd, also released a statement on her husband’s death, saying: “I recently lost my partner. He was a great father, grandfather, brother and friend, but most of all he was a sensational musician and songwriter. It was an honor and a privilege to share the stage with him all these years. His music touched millions of people around the world and Gary always said, ‘Skynyrd’s music is bigger than me, or any other person.’”

This past Sunday (April 2nd), rock greats including Slash, Warren Haynes and Billy Gibbons paid a musical tribute to Gary Rossington at the CMT Awards.

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