Musician. Best known as a founding member and co-lead/rhythm guitarist for the influential Southern Rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, Rossington first developed a passion for music during his early teens upon listening to the English rock band, The Rolling Stones. The genesis of the group began in 1964 when he struck up a friendship with future bandmates Bob Burns and Ronnie Van Zant. With the addition of bassist Larry Junstrom and guitarist Allen Collins, the small ensemble took on the moniker "Lynyrd Skynyrd," an altered form of the name of the band members' high school gym teacher, Leonard Skinner who often mocked the young men for wearing long hair. Wielding a 1959 Gibson Les Paul, Rossington played a key role in the group's meteoric rise to stardom. By 1970, the group had gained a reputation as one of the representative Southern rock acts in the Jacksonville metro. Working with record producer Al Kooper, their 1973 debut album "Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd" was a smash hit, selling more than one million records. The single "Free Bird," on which Rossington played slide guitar, became an anthem for the entire genre. He also prominently featured as the lead guitarist on the album's single "Tuesday's Gone." The band's sophomore effort "Second Helping" (1974) yielded two more hits with "Don't Ask Me No Questions" and the future radio staple "Sweet Home Alabama." Success was dotted with struggles for Rossington, as he struggled with personal issues during the mid-1970s. A car accident in which he was involved inspired another hit, 1977's "That Smell." The "Street Survivors" album released in late 1977 proved to be the peak Skynyrd iteration's final album. Three days following the album's release, Rossington, along with several other members of the band was involved in a horrific plane crash in which lead singer, Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, and backing singer, Cassie Gaines lost their lives. Fortunately, he survived the plane's impact in dense Mississippi woods, but was knocked unconscious and awoke with debris from the aircraft covering him. The group disbanded for a decade long hiatus following the tragedy. Rossington, along with fellow Skynyrd guitarist Allen Collins formed the Rossington Collins Band in 1979. The group released two albums before disbanding three years later. In 1987, Lynyrd Skynyrd reformed with the survivors of the crash standing alongside their late frontman's younger brother, Johnny. While originally envisioned as a one-off memorial tour, the band found success in number of massive tours and the production of nine subsequent studio albums. In 2006, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Lynyrd Skynyrd. At the time of his death in 2023, Rossington remained as the sole survivor and founder of the original lineup of Lynyrd Skynyrd.