How many members of lynyrd skynyrd are still alive?

Question: How many members of lynyrd skynyrd are still alive?

If you are a fan of Southern rock, you might be wondering how many members of Lynyrd Skynyrd are still alive. The band, which was formed in 1964 in Jacksonville, Florida, has gone through many lineup changes and tragedies over the years. Here is a brief overview of the band's history and the fate of its original members.

Lynyrd Skynyrd's original lineup consisted of vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, guitarists Gary Rossington and Allen Collins, bassist Larry Junstrom and drummer Bob Burns. They changed their name from My Backyard to Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1969, as a mock tribute to their high school gym teacher Leonard Skinner, who was strict about hair length. The band added keyboardist Billy Powell and guitarist Ed King in 1972, and released their debut album (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd) that year. The album featured their signature song "Free Bird", a tribute to the late Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers Band.

The band's second album, Second Helping, came out in 1974 and included their biggest hit "Sweet Home Alabama", a response to Neil Young's songs "Southern Man" and "Alabama". The band also replaced Burns with Artimus Pyle on drums, and King left shortly after. In 1976, they added guitarist Steve Gaines and his sister Cassie Gaines as one of the backup singers, known as The Honkettes.

On October 20, 1977, tragedy struck when the band's chartered plane crashed in Mississippi, killing Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines and three others. The surviving members were seriously injured and decided to disband after the crash. A compilation album of unreleased recordings, Skynyrd's First and... Last, was released in 1978.

In 1987, Lynyrd Skynyrd reunited for a tribute tour with Ronnie's younger brother Johnny Van Zant as the lead singer. The band has continued to tour and record since then, with various lineup changes. The only original member still in the band is Gary Rossington, who plays guitar. Larry Junstrom left the band in 1971 and joined .38 Special, another Southern rock band. He died in 2019 at the age of 70. Bob Burns died in a car crash in 2015 at the age of 64. Allen Collins suffered from health problems after the plane crash and died of pneumonia in 1990 at the age of 37. Leon Wilkeson died of chronic liver disease in 2001 at the age of 49. Billy Powell died of a heart attack in 2009 at the age of 56.

So, to answer the question, out of the original six members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, only two are still alive: Gary Rossington and Ed King. However, King left the band twice and was not part of the reunion. He died of cancer in 2018 at the age of 68.

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