Lynyrd Skynyrd founding member and guitarist Gary Rossington has died at the age of 71, his cause of death is unknown. Rossington was the only original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd as three of his bandmates sadly died in a plane crash in 1977. In a statement posted on Facebook, the band said he is "with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does”. The band said they have lost their “brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist” and asked fans to respect the family's privacy. Rossington is best known for his slide guitar work on the classic 'Free Bird' but he also wrote 'Sweet Home Alabama' and 'What’s Your Name'. The guitarist had several health problems over the years. In 2003 he had quintuple bypass surgery and in 2015 he had a serious heart attack. Rossington got a pacemaker and heart valve replacement in 2019 and in 2021 he had to have emergency heart surgery.