Judy Van Zant, the widow of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, led the unveiling of a seven-ton granite monument to the six who died and 20 injured in the crash of the band’s charter airplane 42 years ago.
I was in my first year of high school, and in school that day when informed of the crash, the whole school was shocked, the band was just massive at the time. It was a big deal, and a sad day for us rockers, and the world.
Ronnie Van Zant. The MAN. The GENIUS. The LEGEND. Ronnie Van Zant IS Lynyrd Skynyrd. Love ya always & we miss ya so much my man. World's not the same without ya. Just saying.
The crash happened 20 days after my 4th birthday. I don't recall much of what my adults were saying, but I remember my 19 yr old aunt crying and my one uncle was playing Skynyrd for the rest of the night. I didn't know any of the songs or even recall what was played, but that small vigil they held on the day the news broke makes me feel connected to the music and the band. It was a standout moment in my most impressionable years. That crash and John Lennon getting shot a couple years later stand out real clear.
I was 15 years old. A buddy and I had planned to see them, but my parents wouldn't let me go. It was sad, and I think many people felt like they were cheated. Back then unlike now, you barely seen a band perform unless you went to a concert. It was album, 8 track or cassette. The first time I saw footage of them actually playing was in 96 when I bought Freebird the movie. The hair on my neck stood up, I finally got to see them live....
@@floydfletcher4313 you obviously care or you wouldnt be taking any of your precious time going to all the Skynyrd channelS, leaving your mark like a skunk. You are jealousa or a sick troll, because ive seen you left cruel remarks at the Gene Odom Old School channel. Geez dude you are so disrespectful and pittiful, especially towards the dead youre speaking of. What a loser! Go get a real life instead of being a sick POS! Leave your mark on this world by helping out the sick or the poor instead of this childish b.s. The world can be hurtful enough, you are gross.
Kevin Sago don’t know why you have to bring politics to the conversation but liberals now days ain’t nothing like what the group once was, bootleggers that would run booze with their souped up cars where what liberals once where but my take on politics is everyone lies and don’t care about the working man all they want is our money but that’s government for ya.
Fortunately a lot of concert footage survives of the original group. Their memory will never die and will outlive us. At any crash site there will always be small pieces of metal still there as reminders. This one is no exception. If only the pilots had checked the fuel !! (the gauges reportedly didn't work)
The worst day in rock and roll history,this world hasn't been the same since Ronnie, Steve, Cassie were taken away from us.the pain i feel today is just as bad that horrible day.
To everyone just because they had long hair, doesn’t mean their bad hippies ! I Love ❤️ these guys, and so called hippies, just because of their image!! I seen these guys at Lloyd Noble, In Norman Oklahoma!!! U All R LOVED 🥰 And Missed !!!!!!
Praise God Most Of Them Lived!!! Sweet Home Alabama!!!! FREE BIRD 🐦!!!! We Love 💕 And Miss U All !!!!! Thank God For Everyone Who Saved The Ones Who Lived!!! And The Deceased U All Carried Away!!!! If It Wasn’t For U All, The Rest Of Them Would Of Probably Died Too!!! Also I’m So Glad It Didn’t Catch On Fire 🔥 From This Horrible Plane ✈️ Crash 💥!!!!
“…we’re you horrified?” He replies he was zoned in. I’ve been there, but not to this extent of a tragedy. I am the mother of boys who had rope swings break over a rock driveway, who saw her high school Quarterback son get sacked and sent to the hospital, received the dreaded phone call that same son had rolled our car-but he was “ok”, received another phone call about my Marine son home on leave after he put his car on its side on a highway post and said post was pressing against his friend’s head, etc and more. I learned to put it aside and go into “what needs to be done mode?” or having to stay calm and like he said, zone into what your job of the moment is.
Judy has now moved Ronnie twice. I expect one day she might share buried alongside of him and maybe a place reserved for Melody and her grandkids. RIP Free Birds (all) 🙏🕊😔💔🎸💯
Van Zant predicted his own death. He was indeed a free bird a free bird you cannot change. As they say brightest flames burn quickest and his flame was blinding. RIP.
I think this was a damn shame! They didn’t want to even take this flight ✈️, they said it was already making sounds and it shook and they just said they wanted another plane ✈️ to take! So hopefully the family the ones who lived should Sue the management for making them take their last ride in a messed up ⬆️ plane ✈️!!!! God Bless Each And Every One Of You!!!!! Also God Bless The Families Who Lost A Loved 🥰 One ☝️ In This Disaster!!!! Thank God They Now Have A Place and Memorial Place To Go To,So U Can Pay. UR Respects ✊ To All The Ones Who Lost Their Lives In This Horrible Plane ✈️ Crash 💥!!!! Guys,Let Me Say That I Love ❤️ U All And Miss U 😘 All, And Your Lovely Voices, And Your Music!!! But I Know You All R In Rock N Roll Heaven Looking Down At Your Family and Fans!!!!! RIP Lynyrd Skynyrd!!!!! Southern Rock FOREVER,AND EVER!! GONE BUT NOT OR NEVER FORGOTTEN!!!! FREE BIRD 🦅!!!!!!!!! LOVE 💕 ALWAYS UR FAN.!!!! Signed Pauline Bruce!!!!! AMEN 🙏! ❤️🌈🙏💋🎤🎸🎧🎸🎼🎸🎹🎸✊☝️😎😇!!!!!!!
The draft during the Vietnam War was determined by a lottery drawing based on days of the year. A date was drawn and so many of those born on that day were drafted into service. Not everyone was born on that day.
@@floydfletcher4313 Hey Everybody! This person here Floyd Fletcher is such a loser that the only thing he has to do is go to every Skynyrd related channel and leave diarespectful remarks. He has no job, no friends. His family tied a pork chop around his neck to try to get the dog to play with him, but the dog wasnt having any of that...but he did lift his leg and mark him before he ran off and rolled in a pile of dead fish.
@@flatlander5054 Gene Odom said Ronnie had broken his ankle playing football on a city league and was rejected by the military and that's why he didn't go. But the rest I don't know.
@Zigman 85 Security Head, and boyhood friend, Gene Odom tells about being drafted, in 1969, about two months after he and Ronnie worked at Ronnie's brother-in-law's Auto Parts, where Ronnie was the Manager.
@@Brucev7 y'all are unbelievable who carries divorce papers in a brief case. My lawyer kept mine in his office while I was working on the road. Just another big lie from artimus Pyle
@@robbygaume600 hey in early days she worked and hauled the band around in het station wagon, ronnie didnt work other than at auto parts store so she made some contributions someone had to pay rent
I don’t understand humans. People become sick with horrible diseases. People suffering be disabled in accidents. Yet we will spend thousands on people who have already past. I would have created a foundation in their names to help others who have been hurt. Those stones will fade away. Love never does it’s eternal.
Bruce 7 just like AP said RVZ got up and gave him hippie handshake before plane crashed claims johnny mote shot him with a shotgun, and it him and 2 others that went looking for not just AP, look up the people magazine interview with ronnie in Oct 1977 and if he sounds like a man fixing to divorce his wife
You should watch the documentary “ If I leave here tomorrow “ it explains that it has nothing to do with racism it was just a flag that they had at their European shows to show they were from the south that’s all. They didn’t want to b called Yankees.
I really just want to say that I was only 11 year's old and remember seeing it on the news and I really didn't realize that that band was as poperler as what I have found out over the years of my life I'm from Jacksonville Florida and I really do miss the original band because they had their own way of playing the music very original sound I'm very sorry for the plan crash that took the lives of the band members but it is a part of life you live and die you can not avoid death but if you live the way God wants everyone to live you may live A long good life okay I've said enough thanks for reading if you do read this message just live a good life and trust in God . thanks Charles Williams ⚡😎♥️🤍💙🌈⚡
cause you gotta remember the past, the influencers and the influenced. Music especially, we need to remember music roots and respect them and observe them. we need the past to move forward
