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Oct 20, 2017 · Read our account of the 1977 plane crash that claimed the life of Lynyrd Skynyrd's Ronnie Van Zant, including new recollections from a survivor.
- Jordan Runtagh
- The Rise of Ronnie Van Zant and Lynyrd Skynyrd
- The Frontman’S Death in The Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash
- The Rebirth of Lynyrd Skynyrd
Born on January 15, 1948, in Jacksonville, Florida, Ronald Wayne Van Zant didn’t drift toward life as a musician right away. According to the official Lynyrd Skynyrd website, his first passions were fishing and playing baseball. “I went as far as playing American Legion ball,” Ronnie Van Zant said, according to the site. “The next step would have b...
On Oct. 20, 1977, the day of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s flight from Greenville, South Carolina, to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, almost everyone had a bad feeling about the plane. According to Rolling Stone, the band’s manager Peter Rudge had bought the nearly 30-year-old Convair 240 out of necessity because the group caused too much trouble on commercial flights....
In the aftermath of the Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash, an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Boardfound that the fatal crash had been due to “fuel exhaustion” as well as pilot error. But Ronnie Van Zant’s death, and the deaths of others on board, didn’t spell the end of Lynyrd Skynyrd as Powell predicted. In 1987, the band reformed wi...
- Kaleena Fraga
Jul 18, 2018 · The film, Lynyrd Skynyrd: If I Leave Here Tomorrow, covers a lot of ground: the band’s rise from Jacksonville, Florida, the plane crash that killed vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve...
Lynyrd Skynyrd lead vocalist and founding member Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist and vocalist Steve Gaines, backing vocalist Cassie Gaines (Steve's older sister), assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, Captain Walter McCreary and First Officer William John Gray all died as a result of the crash, while twenty others survived.
Sep 3, 2021 · When the plane crashed, Ronnie Van Zant instantly died due to blunt force trauma to his head. Per Rolling Stone, the surviving members of the band weren't immediately told about Van Zant's death to allow them to heal from their grave injuries before hearing the devastating news.
Van Zant was buried in Orange Park, Florida, in 1977. His body was relocated after vandals broke into his tomb and that of bandmate Steve Gaines on June 29, 2000. Van Zant's casket was pulled out and dropped on the ground. The bag containing Gaines' remains was torn open and some scattered onto the grass. [11]
Jun 20, 2022 · But, on October 20, 1977, Ronnie Van Zant’s death came suddenly and tragically during the midst of the band’s success. Videos by American Songwriter. Van Zant’s Death. After performing in...
