Gary Rossington, the final surviving founding member of the band Lynyrd Skynyrd has died at the age of 71.
News of the guitarist and songwriter's death was shared by the band on their official Facebook page as they paid tribute to the star.
They wrote: "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.
"Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does."
The band added: "Please keep Dale, Mary, Annie and the entire Rossington family in your prayers and respect the family’s privacy at this difficult time."
While Rossington's official cause of death has yet to be confirmed, the musician had been open about having issues with his heart, including undergoing emergency heart surgery in 2021.
He had also undergone a quintuple bypass surgery in 2003, and had spoken about "cheating death" multiple times throughout his life.
Rossington was one of the original members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, having been with the rock band since it formed in 1964 alongside lead vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, Allen Collins on guitar, Larry Junstrom as bassist, and Bob Burns on drums.
The band's lead singer Van Zant had been killed in a plane crash in October 1977 along with the pilots and the band's assistant road manager, and Steve and Cassie Gaines.
Rossington had also been on the plane, however, miraculously survived alongside other band members and their tour manager and road crew, all of which suffered serious injuries.
Just a year earlier, Rossington had also survived a horrific car accident, which went on to inspire the band's song 'That Smell.'
Rossington told Guitar.com in 2010 that he has vivid memories of the plane crash, explaining: "I remember most of it - the rapid descent, the screaming, my friends in pain like something out of Vietnam. Waking up with the plane door on top of me.
"Cassie and Steve died. They were right next to me and Allen, yet we didn’t die, so we had unanswered questions as to why them and not us? We all believe in God because we’ve been through so much and yet we carried on…
"The crash has been brought up every day to us, since then. The main thing is we lost our best friends – that’s the hardest part. Our motto when we started was 'If we don’t make it we’ll die trying.' And we made it but at a terrible cost."
He added: "We had a second chance to do this and we continued. What else is life about than to live it? You’re a fool to not to live your dream. It’s unbelievable people still love our music and come out for us every night. We’re thankful."
Rossington was known for co-writing one of Lynyrd Skynyrd's biggest hits 'Sweet Home Alabama' as well as performing the iconic guitar solo on their track 'Free Bird'.
The band had announced a co-headline tour with ZZ Top in December, which was due to begin in July and run for 22 dates, however, Rossington had not performed with the group at their recent shows, as well as only playing for half the performance during 2022 gigs.
Addressing whether he would be taking part in the tour, the band told a fan on Facebook: "Gary will come to shows for guest appearances as he is feeling well and able. He is planning to be in Plant City next month."
The band reformed 11 years after the horror plane crash, with Van Zant's younger brother Johnny Van Zant taking over as lead vocalist, and Lynyrd Skynyrd remains active today, with this year marking the 50th anniversary of their debut album, Pronounced Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd.
Rossington told Uproxx in 2018: "I’m prouder than a peacock and am honored to still sell out crowds. You know, I’m in bad health. I got a bad heart, and that’s why we’re quitting touring so much.
"I’m doing great right now. I just had some heart surgeries some years back and I’ve had a few stints put in since then. It’s just that. My doctors keep telling me to quit, but I just can’t. Musicians never quit, they fade away."
Rossington is survived by his wife Dale Krantz-Rossington, who he has been married to for 40 years, as well as their two daughters.
Our thoughts are with Gary Rossington's family, friends, and bandmates at this time.
