GARY ROSSINGTON 1951-2023

The survivor of the infamous Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash, who helmed the band for a further three decades and gave countless gunslingers their start, has died aged 71

- Henry Yates

In the latter days of his career, the thunderous response that met Gary Rossington at Lynyrd Skynyrd shows went far deeper than an appreciation for his fiery Les Paul licks. For those who had followed the Southern rockers from their inception in 1964, the modest man half-hidden beneath the brim of a cowboy hat was a talisman, representing the last link to the classic Skynyrd line-up who had perished in a horror plane crash at the peak of their powers.

From that dark day in 1977 until his death on 5 March, Rossington never forgot he was carrying the flag for his fallen comrades. “We just want to spread the word of Skynyrd and the guys who are not with us any longer,” Rossington told Guitarist in 2012. “I think the old guys, they bless us a little bit from heaven and let us play good. I know they’d give us their stamp of approval. Y’know, like, ‘Keep going, keep it up…’”