Billy Powell called 911 Tuesday night complaining of chest pains. When paramedics and police arrived, they found him unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Paramedics say his death was related to heart problems, which he had been seeing a cardiologist for. Powell which has had an interesting run with the group Lynyrd Skynyrd, survived the plane crash of 1977 in Mississippi which killed Ronnie Van Zant and 5 others. Powell was severely injured in the crash.
Powell joined the original Skynyrd band in 1972, but he worked for the Jacksonville, Florida-based band for several years before that as a crew member. Among the Southern rock band’s acclaimed songs are “What’s Your Name,” “Freebird” and “Sweet Home Alabama,” all released in the 1970s. “Sweet Home Alabama” reached the top 10 in 1974. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. Two years after the plane crash, Powell, Allen Collins, Gary Rossington and Leon Wilkeson formed the Rossington-Collins Band. It broke up in 1982. A new Lynyrd Skynyrd band formed in 1987 and included Johnny Van Zant, Ronnie’s brother. It began a tour in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where the plane was headed when it crashed. The band’s last album, “Vicious Cycle,” came out in 2003.
The music industry will miss this southern rock icon. Rock ON Powell!!!
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