Bob Burns, Former Lynyrd Skynyrd Drummer, Dead at 64 From Fatal Car Crash

Musician was killed when his vehicle veered off the road in Georgia on Friday

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Bob Burns, the former drummer for the Southern hard rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd has died in a car crash in Georgia. He was 64.

Burns’ vehicle went off the curve and struck a tree and then a mailbox near Cartersville, Georgia just before midnight. Burns — whose full name was Robert Burns Jr. — was killed in the wreck and was not wearing a seatbelt.

The single-car accident remains under investigation.

Burns was one of five musicians who founded Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1966, known for its hits such as “Sweet Home Alabama,” ”Gimme Three Steps,” and “Free Bird.” He left the group in 1974.

Burns continued to play in guest appearances nationally, his father, Robert Burns Sr. told the Associated Press. Early on, the group played in the Burns’ family garage.

“He had the manners that would suit the King of England. Very soft-spoken and extremely well-mannered person to come out of that kind of industry,” Burns Sr. recalled, according to Time.

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