Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington recovers after emergency heart procedure: reports

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The last active original member of the classic southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd was to recover Saturday night after undergoing emergency heart surgery, according to the band.

Guitarist Gary Rossington, 69, who has been playing with the band since its early days in Jacksonville, Florida, has been resting at home with his family and is expecting a “full recovery,” the band wrote Friday in a Facebook post.

The Ultimate Classic Rock website reported that lead singer Jonny Van Zant told fans at a recent concert in Minnesota that Rossington had been sidelined because he had to “put an emergency stent in his heart.”

Rossington had a history of heart problems, having had surgery following a heart attack in 2015, and again to repair a heart valve in 2019, according to Rolling Stone magazine. The 2019 surgery forced the postponement of the Lynyrd Skynyrd tour, according to the outlet.

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Rossington missed the band’s recent string of shows, including a Friday night concert in Minot, North Dakota, according to Rolling Stone.

AL.com reports that the band has brought in Alabama-based guitarist Damon Johnson to fill up while Rossington continues his recovery.

The band claimed in their Facebook post that the decision to move forward with their tour schedule came at the invitation of Rossington.

Aside from Rossington, only drummer Artemis Bale – who was separate from the group – survived the heyday of the 1970s when the band was famous for songs like “Free Bird”.

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In October 1977, a plane crash in Mississippi killed lead singer Ronnie Van Zant and siblings Steve and Cassie Gaines, guitarist and background vocalist, respectively. After a hiatus after the plane crash, the band re-emerged as Rossington Collins in the early 1980s, with Rossington’s wife, Dale Krantz Rossington, as their lead singer.

Members of Lynard Skyard’s latest lineup, including lead singer Johnny Van Zant (front, second from left) and guitarist Gary Rossington (center).

But a few years later, Johnny Van Zant formed a revamped version of his late brother Ronnie’s band, and they’ve been touring and recording ever since.

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Over the years following the breakup, band members including Allen Collins, Leon Wilcoxon, Billy Powell, Ed King, and Bob Burns died of various causes.

Rossington and the band performed “Fox & Friends” in June 2018, performing a lineup of songs that included “What Your Name?” “Gimme Three Steps” and “Sweet Home Alabama”.

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