Robert Lewis Burns Jr., who was one of the original drummers in Lynyrd Skynyrd, died Friday night in a car crash in Georgia. He was 64.
According to Georgia State Patrol spokesman James Tallent, Burns died when his car hit a mailbox and a tree in Cartersville. There were no other cars involved in the accident that happened shortly after midnight.
Burns was part of the rock band’s initial lineup when it formed in 1965 in Jacksonville, Florida. The formation changed over the years, as they produced well-known anthems such as “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Free Bird.” In 1975, before the band’s third studio album Nuthin Fancy, Burns left due to exhaustion from touring.
The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. They still tour as Lynyrd Skynyrd with guitarist Gary Rossington as the only original member.
"Today I'm at a loss for words but I just remember Bob being a funny guy," Rossington wrote on the band’s Facebook page. "My heart goes out to his family and God bless him and them in this sad time. He was a great, great drummer."
[via CNN]
