What Happened To Lynyrd Skynyrd Band Members? American rock group Lynyrd Skynyrd is based in Florida. The band spent five years touring small venues under various names and with various lineup changes before settling on “Lynyrd Skynyrd” in 1969.
Guitarist Ed King, keyboardist Billy Powell, and bassist Leon Wilkeson were all featured on the band’s debut album, which was released in 1973.
What Happened To Lynyrd Skynyrd Band Members?
On October 20, 1977, Lynyrd Skynyrd performed at the Greenville Memorial Auditorium in Greenville, three days after the release of their album Street Survivors.
They boarded a Convair CV-240 aircraft with a destination of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where they would perform at Louisiana State University. The plane’s fuel ran out close to the end of the flight.
The pilots tried to navigate to McComb Airport after realizing they didn’t have enough fuel, but they soon realized they wouldn’t make it.
As a last resort, the plane made an emergency landing in an open field about 300 yards from where it eventually went down.
Plane Crashed Killed 4 Lynyrd Skynyrd Band Members
A plane carrying the group from Greenville, South Carolina, to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, ran out of fuel on October 20, 1977, close to Gillsburg, Mississippi.
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Convair CV-240 passengers were cautioned about potential issues with the aircraft and instructed to prepare for a collision.
Ronnie Van Zant passed away as a result of head injuries sustained in the plane crash that hit the tree. Additionally lost in the crash were Steve and Cassie Gaines, co-pilot William Gray, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, and pilot Walter McCreary. The remaining members of the band suffered serious wounds.
The right engine’s ignition magneto was taken out, examined, and tested by the NTSB after the crash, and it was found that “no mechanical or electrical discrepancies were discovered during the examination of the right magneto.”
Lynyrd Skynyrd Lead Vocalist Ronnie Van Zant And Others Were Among Who Died
The mourners at Ronnie Van Zant’s funeral, according to Ed King, were sobbing uncontrollably. In 1977, Ronnie was buried in Orange Park, Florida.
Vandals broke into his and bandmate Steve Gaines’ graves on June 29, 2000. His coffin was taken out and dropped to the floor. The public can still visit their mausoleums in Orange Park as memorials.
After vandals broke into his and Ronnie’s tombs on June 29, 2000, Steve’s ashes were moved to an undisclosed location. Steve was cremated and buried in Orange Park, Florida, in 1977.
Ten years later, the new site of their interment was accidentally revealed by a Craigslist ad. An advertisement for two plots in the Jacksonville Memory Gardens Cemetery in Orange Park, Florida, next to Van Zant’s tomb was placed on Craigslist by a family who had decided not to keep them.
Cassie survived the initial collision but passed away as help arrived and the victims were taken away for medical attention. Billy Powell, a survivor, made contentious claims that the victim passed away from severe wounds in his arms as a result of the collision. The funeral for Cassie was held in Orange Park, Florida.
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