ATLANTA (CNN) — Robert Lewis Burns Jr., the original drummer in Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, died in a car crash Friday night in Georgia, a Georgia State Patrol spokesman said.
Burns, 64, died after his car hit a mailbox and a tree in Cartersville, Georgia, spokesman James Tallent said.
No other cars were involved in the crash, which occurred shortly before midnight on Friday.
“He was not restrained at the time of the crash,” Tallent told CNN.
Burns was part of the genre-defining band’s original lineup, along with lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington, Allen Collins and Larry Junstrom. The band changed members over the years as it produced rock anthems including “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Freebird.” The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.
“Today I’m at a loss for words but I just remember Bob being a funny guy,” Rossington said on the band’s official 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.”
Rossington is the only original member still in the band.
