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PLANT CITY, Fla. (WFLA) – Lynyrd Skynyrd is still set to perform at the Florida Strawberry Festival following the death of guitarist Gary Rossington, the festival announced Monday.
The band took to social media on Sunday and confirmed Rossington, last surviving original member of the band, had died at the age of 71.
“It is with our deepest sympathy and sadness that we have to advise, that we lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist, Gary Rossington, today,” the band wrote. “Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does.”
His cause of death was not given.
Rossington’s death came a week before the band was set to perform at the Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City. The band was announced as a headliner for the festival in November.
The festival announced Monday that the band is still scheduled to perform at the event next weekend. The event will take place at the Wish Farms Soundstage at 7:30 p.m. on March 12.
“Our Festival has lost a great friend, entertainer, and music icon,” said Florida Strawberry Festival President Paul Davis. “Our hearts go out to his entire family, all his fans and to the thousands of people whose lives he has enriched. We know we will have a special guest and guardian angel watching over this performance.”
According to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s website, Rossington formed the band that would later become Lynyrd Skynyrd with lead singer Ronnie Van Zant and drummer Bob Burns in Jacksonville, Florida in 1964 when they were teenagers. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.
