Gary Rossington (Photo via Lynyrd Skynyrd Facebook page, May 15, 2017)
Lynyrd Skynyrd revealed today (August 13) that their sole surviving founder Gary Rossington, underwent heart surgery on July 31. The band’s announcement noted that the guitarist, 67, is expected to make a full recovery. Rossington has been part of every line-up of Skynyrd dating back to its origins as My Backyard in 1964.
The band has postponed a pair of concerts scheduled for this weekend – August 16 and 17 – that are part of their Last of the Street Survivors Farewell tour. (The Friday, August 16 show at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV has been rescheduled for Friday, Oct. 18, and the Saturday, Aug. 17, performance at Toyota Amphitheatre in Wheatland, CA for Saturday, Oct. 19.
The note on Skynyrd’s Facebook page wrote, in part: “Guitarist and original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Gary Rossington, has been experiencing fatigue and other symptoms related to a leaky heart valve. Rossington underwent a procedure on July 31 to repair the valve. To allow him proper time to recover the band must reschedule the upcoming tour dates. Rossington is expected to make a full recovery.
“We all appreciate the well wishes for Gary and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused,” said Johnny Van Zant the band’s lead vocalist. “But he can’t wait to come back and perform at 100% for the fans. We will see you all soon!”
On October 8, 2015, Rossington, then 63, suffered a heart attack. Unfortunately, heart problems are nothing new for the guitar hero, who underwent a quintuple bypass in 2003. Never one to be kept down for long, he returned to touring just seven weeks post-surgery.
Watch Lynyrd Skynyrd perform a favorite on June 18, 2019
Related: Our feature story on the band’s farewell tour
Skynyrd’s Farewell tour has been scheduled for weekend shows only.
Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour 2019 Dates (Tickets here)
Aug 23 – Irvine, CA – FivePoint Amphitheatre presented by Mercury Insurance
Aug 24 – Concord, CA – Concord Pavilion
Aug 30 – Camden, NJ – BB&T Pavilion^
Aug 31 – Saratoga Springs, NY – SPAC^
Sep 13 – Southaven, MS – Bank Plus Amphitheater+
Sep 14 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre+
Sep 20 – Salt Lake City, UT – USANA Amphitheater+
Sep 21 – Denver, CO – Fiddler’s Green#
Sep 22 – Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheater
Sep 27 – Jackson, MS – Brandon Amphitheater+
Sep 28 – Orange Beach, AL – Wharf Amphitheater+
Oct 11 – Manchester, TN – Exit 111 Festival
Oct 12 – Little Rock, AR – First Security Amphitheater
Oct 18 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena# (prev. Aug 16)
Oct 19 – Wheatland, CA – Toyota Amphitheatre (prev Aug 17)
+ with Cody Jinks
^ with Hank Williams Jr
# with Bad Company
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