The Cemetery of Rock

R.I.P.

Steve and Cassie Gaines

of Lynyrd Skynyrd

Dates of Birth: Steve - September 14, 1949, Cassie - July 5, 1948
Date of Death: Both - October 20, 1977

Cause of Death: Brother and sister, they died when their tour plane 'Freebird' crashed en route to a gig at Baton Rouge, Louisiana. They had taken off from Greenville, South Carolina when their plane ran out of fuel and crashed into swampland in southern Mississippi. Also died were singer/guitarist Ronnie Van Zandt and roadie Dean Kilpatrick.

Final Resting Place: Jacksonville Memorial Gardens, Orange Park, Florida
Claim to Fame: Members of the greatest Southern Boogie band to ever come out of the U.S. South. Immortalised on 'Sweet Home Alabama', 'Freebird', 'Gimme Three Steps'...... the list goes on.

Lynyrd Skynyrd circa 1977.    Steve Gaines is front row right.   Ronnie Van Zandt is front row with the hat.  Cassie Gaines is the lady in the back row.   Allen Collins (front left) has also since died.
 

Two shots of the crash site. (Pictures thanks to Marc Frank)

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