PLANT CITY, Fla. — Rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd is set to still perform at the 2023 Florida Strawberry Festival this weekend amid the recent death of the group's guitarist and original member Gary Rossington.
On Sunday night, the band announced Rossington's death on their Facebook page, but the cause of his passing was not revealed. He was 71 years old.
"Our Festival has lost a great friend, entertainer, and music icon," Florida Strawberry Festival President Paul Davis said in a statement. "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."
The Florida native, who played lead and rhythm guitar, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006 alongside his bandmates. The band has produced popular hits like "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Free Bird."
In the later parts of his life, Rossington dealt with an array of heart issues. He suffered a heart attack in 2015 and recently underwent emergency heart surgery in 2021.
"It is with our deepest sympathy and sadness that we have to advise, that we lost our brother, friend, family member, rhysongwriter and guitarist, Gary Rossington," the band's Facebook post read. "Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does.
"Please keep Dale, Mary, Annie and the entire Rossington family in your prayers and respect the family’s privacy at this difficult time."
Lynyrd Skynyrd is scheduled to perform at the festival at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, March 12, on the Wish Farms Soundstage.
The festival runs March 2-12 at the festival grounds, located at 303 Berryfest Place in Plant City. To learn more, click here.
TEGNA Central Content Team's Melissa Hernandez De La Cruz contributed to this report.