Can you imagine all these women sitting around a table in the house and none of them knowing if their husbands were alive or dead after theyd been in this plane crash? Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. But it was a fools paradise. Featured Obituary. The pain, the scars, the metal rod in one arm - frequent reminders of October 20, 1977, the day Lynyrd Skynyrd's plane went down near McComb, Mississippi. I had other fish to fry. This is notable because certain Skynyrd members were notorious bigots. Allen Collins was badly injured in that accident. Three decades later, his near miss still chills him. Ronnie told me, Boy get yourself out of here, its not your time yet, get on out of here, the bassist told me in 1997. USA. Lynyrd Skynyrd, that seven year work-in-progress, was ready at last. Reynolds, who was very close to Collins and Collins father, Larkin, doesnt agree with the conclusions of the police report. But you better be right. Obituary Headlines, View current celebrity deaths on Legacy.com. Oops, something didn't work. Collins, 33, faces charges in Jacksonville, Fla., of drinking-related manslaughter, reckless driving and not having a valid license. But after his wife died, he became real bitter, even with me He never knew how many people he inspired because he died too early.. Michael Ray FitzGerald is a media historian, musician, and former journalist based in Jacksonville, Florida. Those at the back were less badly injured. By WILLIAM C. TROTT, United Press International. He would stomp his foot down on top of mine [on the gas pedal], Reynolds says. Anyone actually listening would know that wasnt true. Ive proved this to myself, so why should I listen to anybody else? Thats the feeling you got from him. A year after the plane crash, Gregg Allman wanted to form a band with Gary Rossington and Allen Collins. Lacy Van Zant was a Golden Gloves boxer, with no less than 36 bouts under his belt. How can you not respond to the first time you hear I Aint The One or Free Bird?. "Jacksonville, Fla. (AP) - A former member of the Lynyrd Skynyrd rock group remained hospitalized in serious condition today, suffering from injuries he received in an accident that killed a passenger in his car.Allen Collins, 33, a guitarist, was charged with reckless driving and driving on a suspended and revoked license after the Wednesday night accident in South Jacksonville. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. Looters reached the site, pilfering the pockets of the dead and the living alike. Then of course, there was the lyrics to That Smell, one of the last songs Van Zant wrote for Street Survivors. We then went to the hospital and saw all the other people who were hurt. As original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, most unforgettable rock band that came from the south, Allen Collins co wrote some of their most memorable songs, including Free Bird and Gimme Three Steps. July 23, 1954 January 8, 2020. He is out cold with his feet still up on the railing, sort of hanging there. He died 87 days before that pivotal date. She grew up in La Boca on her family's farm and attended Ignacio Schools. This would not be the last time the spectre of Ronnie Van Zant would pay a visit to friends and family. Wife of Private. Debra 'Deb' Jean Dahlin. amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; As stupid as it sounds, it just felt like he was there. LIZAMA, Debra Jean. Alcohol. Louder is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. We gathered at Sissons house in Lyons that afternoon. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. Who else lives with 11322 Wolf Court Port Richey at 11322 Wolf Court Port Richey? Johnny Van Zant, who replaced him as the lead singer of Lynyrd Skynyrd, isnt sure. Ronnie told me often that he didnt expect to live past 30, remembers Kevin Elson, Skynyrds soundman, who went on to produce Journey, Mr. Big, Night Ranger and Strangeways. Word got around, and the place was packed with Skynyrd fans. However, Collins did not appear to be one of them. I woke up screaming, and my mom came running in going, Honey what is it? I said Mama, I dreamed the plane crashed! And she said, No honey, its just a dream. And I said No mom, its too real!, They had already sent me the itinerary, so the next day I called Greenville. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. An amputation was recommended for him but his father disapproved. I went down to meet with Gregg, who wanted to join up with them. But he meant it affectionately. About six months after Ronnies death, I woke up in the middle of the night. There is a thick, black steak scorching in a skillet, filling the kitchen with smoke. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. Family and friends must say goodbye to their beloved Debra Jean (Louisville, Kentucky), who passed away on March 31, 2022. Lacy Van Zant wore a Lynyrd Skynyrd t-shirt to the 10-minute long funeral service, and had to be hospitalised for nervous exhaustion for three days afterward. Alice "Jean" Cummings Watts, 84, peacefully died Sunday, June 20th, surrounded by family. The five of us wound up at the Sugar Bowl, a teen club in a working-class subdivision called Cedar Hills, where several prominent musicians were raised, including Collins and future Skynyrd members Leon Wilkeson and Billy Powell, guitarist Jeff Carlisi (of .38 Special), singer-guitarist Don Barnes (also of .38), and keyboardist Kevin Elson (later sound mixer, recording engineer and producer). We swore we would never again get into a car with Collins at the wheel. It seemed fate was not done with them yet. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. It was probably a good thing. Thanks for your help! Former Skynyrd guitarist Ed King drove through the night arriving the next morning to see the members of the band he left in the middle of the night two years before. He was in serious but stable condition this morning, said University Hospital spokeswoman Leslie Heinrich.Debra Watts Lizama, 31, who lived with Collins, was killed in the accident, said Mike Kee, a police spokesman. Debra Jean Watts entered eternal rest Tuesday, January 28, 2020, in Durango. Cemetery & Obituaries Search; Sponsored by Ancestry. With the passion and dedication coursing through his veins, it is no wonder that Allen joined Lynyrd Skynyrd, at the time, My Backyard, just two weeks after . Allen decided to drive home, Reynolds replies. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Debra Lizama (169042187)? Fortunately, there was a band down the street with an excellent drummer who also sang very well and owned a decent sound system. He pleaded no contest to a charge of drunken . So thats what Price and I concentrated on. Gary doesnt have the same authority Ronnie had. When the tragedy happened, I was the one who flew out with Lacy to identify the bodies, says Barnes. When we get on that stage its war, Van Zant told me in 1975. Its passed on and on.. Hammered was the operative word. And if you believe in such things, hes watching over them still. By autumn of 1979, the two guitarists felt confident enough to talk to the press about a new venture, explaining, Weve just been getting together and messing around doing a little playing and a little thinking, but were not worried about making any big rocknroll moves. They hired singer Dale Krantz (who later married Rossington, after a rather torrid romance with Collins) and were eventually joined by Skynyrd keyboardist Billy Powell, and bassist Leon Wilkeson. I told him that it was the strongest thing I had seen a man do., Lacy Van Zant always insisted he warned his son not to get on that plane. No longer able to play guitar, Collins' career was over. Allen Collins father had just begun showing up about the same time the cheques did, according to one member of the band. Scrambling in the dark fearful of snakes, alligators, or worse the three finally flagged down a farmer named Johnny Mote, who had come to investigate what the mighty noise was that jarred him out of his house. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. There is a huge dent in the trunks lid. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. (Image credit: Michael Ochs Archives \/ Getty Images), Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington and Allen Collins with Al Kooper during the recording of Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd, Billingsley told a reporter from swampland.com in 2003, Why I Brian Jones, by Killing Joke's Jaz Coleman, Paul Stanley knows the End Of The Road is nigh, but he's determined to out with a bang, Van Morrison and Billy Bragg are engaged in a bizarre discussion about Covid on Twitter, Heavy Metal Love: The story of Helix, Canada's mightiest hair metal heroes, Every album by The Cult ranked from worst to best, Every issue delivered direct to your door. Constance Sue Gutmann, 83 of Cedar Hill, died Sunday, January 2, 2022, at St. Thomas West Hospital in Nashville. She was thrown from the car when it veered into a ditch, hit a concrete culvert and landed on its roof before rolling onto its wheels. Wife of Private Sister of David Joseph Watts; Dale Joshua Watts; Daniel "Danny" Jonathan Watts; Private and Private Later reports would insist that the singer was decapitated, causing his widow, Judy Van Zant to publish her husbands autopsy results on the internet. Lacy came up and reached down and scooped up a handful of the dirt and wiped it across my mouth and said, Kiss this ground youre walking on. & Florence Watts of . He was older than both Allen and Gary. Theresa [Gaines] decided she wanted Steve and Cassie there too., She wasnt the only one who had trouble keeping it together. Sister of David Joseph Watts; Dale Joshua Watts; Daniel "Danny" Jonathan Watts; Private and Private. About two-and-a-half hours out of Greenville, South Carolina en route to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and only three days into Skynyrds Street Survivors tour, the right engine of their chartered 1948 twin-engine Convair suddenly hiccupped and died. One day I went up to Gary and said, What happened to I want to be the best band in the world I shall not be denied? continues Reed. amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "psr010-20"; AP News - 812 days ago. They were naturally a bit crazy in various ways and all that meeting with The Who did was light the fuse. He said he liked to take them out in to the woods and roll them. Remarkably, Lynyrd Skynyrd, considered one of the greatest American rock bands of the 70s, still have a strong effect on contemporary music. Chris Charlesworth was due to travel with the band on that ill-starred night of October 20, 1977. He rang me and said, Weve got some trouble in this hotel. He told me theyve got hold of the managers wifes cat and they skinned it. 56, of Port Richey passed away January 8, 2018. But looks didnt really matter to me. Collins also claimed he had boinked Chaka Khan on Skynyrds tour bus. Ronnie was such a gentleman, he wouldnt let anybody mess with us, says Jo Jo Billingsley. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. Were all embarrassed for him. That just got me. He is the author of the award-winning book Jacksonville and the Roots of Southern Rock from University of Florida Press. I had a creepy feeling things were going against us, so I thought Id write a morbid song.. He was preceded in . cemeteries found in Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. I was wise to his pranks and could see them coming, but she wasnt ready for that.. I kept calling to him, Come back, dont go away. I didnt want it to end.. Please enter your email and password to sign in. Why? Leon Wilkeson suffered a broken jaw, a crushed chest and internal bleeding and was declared dead not once, but three times, waking up only to say he had been sitting on a cloud-shaped log with Ronnie and Duane Allman. Debra Watts Lizama, 31, who lived with Collins, was killed in the accident, said Mike Kee, a police spokesman. I had been trained never to stop playing in the middle of a song no matter what happens, because if theres a melee, stopping will draw everyones attention, whereas if you keep playing, a lot of people wont notice. It was so weird because some of them thought that maybe I had something to do with it, but I had nothing to do with it.. Moore estimated the car was traveling at 70 to 90 mph before the accident. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. Hugh Keays-Byrne, Played villains in "Mad Max" movies. Since we were just starting to get off on the acid, my friends and I hauled ass out of there. But 25 minutes later, that same jaundiced audience called Skynyrd back for an encore. She said Collins was a disaster behind the wheel and told me a story Johnny Van Zant had related: he had been pulling out of the Krystal on San Juan Avenue recently and was run off the road, nearly hit, by a crazy driver coming around the corner too fast in the wrong lane. Later we had this special memorial service just for Allen and Gary and we moved Ronnie to his permanent place. Rossington doesnt need aches and pains to remind him of that day its something that will haunt him forever. Kooper had just persuaded MCA records to bankroll his Sounds Of The South label in an effort to compete with Phil Waldens Capricorn Records (home of the Allman Brothers). See Photos. Why don t I just meet you there? And he said, Good, bring all your stuff. I went back to sleep at my moms, and that night I had the most vivid dream. I was there that day and that was not a pretty day. Had he been older and wiser, he says, he never would have climbed those rickety steel stairs. The strength that this man displayed was monumental. 1935 - 2023 Mike Wayne Wolfe, age 87, passed away on Tuesday, February 7, 2023. Collins sat down with my and my wife, and as we were leaving he offhandedly asked if I knew where he could buy a junk car for about a hundred bucks. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. The only other times I saw him behave gently was around his daughters, whom he adored and they him. So devastating was Skynyrds assault that the other acts showcased at Sounds Of The South, Mose Jones and Elijah, were forgotten. Please become a subscriber here! He seemed to recognize me. Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/jean_watts Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3ZbmHVXqRhxAYlRjbG30RL?si=3cl_qrCjQ4OFWBs7j5JUZgAmazon Storefront: https:/. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. I wrote [That Smell] when Gary had his car accident. He grew up in Shantytown [the rough and tumble West Side of Jacksonville]. Drummer Artimus Pyle and crew members Ken Peden and Mark Frank stumbled through the wreckage to go for help. It also gave them a hunger and a drive and a motivation. Larry Junstrom. And now theyre a tribute band., Could Ronnie have really foretold his own death? Mary May I Should I Say Something to an Alleged Abuser. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/169042187/debra-jean-lizama. She was preceded in death by her father, Oscar Rudolph Watts, and her mother Reba Brinson Brannon. Debra "Debbie" DeGraaff age 65 passed away December 6, 2022 after a painful battle with cancer. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Violence was just part of the culture there. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Learn more about managing a memorial . With their take-no-prisoners attitude, Skynyrd earned themselves a formidable reputation as contenders. Keith Richards, he said, had shown it to him personally (this was a credible claim since the Stones and Skynyrd at one point shared a manager, Peter Rudge). Born January 28, 1957 Debbie lived in Glen Rock later moving to Hawthorne where . You need a Find a Grave account to continue. His name was Scott Sisson. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. Debra Lizama is 61. The oft-told, star-crossed saga of Lynyrd Skynyrd has been portrayed as the convergence of opportunity, preparedness, talent and luck. Burns, whod been playing poorly and suffering Van Zants wrath regularly, freaked and tossed the hotels beloved resident cat out his fourth floor window, making for a grisly kitty cat splat outside the establishments front door. This was topped by a huge head of shoulder-length, curly hair. He probably got distracted and swerved. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. Van Zant stood in one spot barely moving, his bare feet squarely planted on the stage as he spat out the words to the bands creation myth. Price and I are driving back home to our apartment in Jacksonville. As he leaned over to spit the bug-coloured juice from his Red Man chewing tobacco into an empty plastic milk carton, he looked me straight in the eye to see if I believed him. Rossington and the rest of the band and crew 20 in all survived their injuries but struggled for years with the aftermath. Lois worked at NORPAC for part of her life. The first time I saw Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Allen Collins was in 1969, when I went with a group of hippies to the Comic Book Club in downtown Jacksonville, where One Percent was the house band, to score some acid. That was my purpose. Man, all the signs were there., It didnt stop there. Debra Watts (Debra Holloway Watts) See Photos. And the whole front row would go Wow., As mean as he could be, there was a Jekyll and Hyde aspect to Ronnie Van Zant. The audience pelted the little known band with quarters ostensibly to get them off the stage. It would take them two more years to launch Rossington-Collins. Find an obituary, get service details, leave condolence messages or send flowers or gifts in memory of a loved one. Nor do they have the will. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. Obituary. She was thrown from the car when it veered into a ditch, hit a concrete culvert and landed on its roof before rolling onto its wheels. Paralysing car wrecks. I had to find out who was where and we had to get to the funeral home to identify the body. I did. Ive got messages all over Greenville from you. I said Allen, its that airplane. And I told him about my dream. He never ever changed, either. Clara Bawol. Van Zant and his band became known as offstage boozers and brawlers who would fight among themselves if no external adversaries were available. Allen Larkin Collins: July 19th 1952 January 23rd 1990. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; Some of us take a good road and some of us take a bad road. The music was incredible. God made his mark on them for them to make their mark on the world. I was acting as the manager for Gary and Allen, says Judy Van Zant Jenness. On that last day, he was standing right on this step, said the elder Van Zant, who pointed to a spot about 10 feet from where we sat, and I begged him not to get on the charter plane. On top of all this hed had to deal with the shock of his wifes death three later. This was a year after Skynyrds plane crash. Debra Watts. . Puresouthernrock.com is the most complete Southern Rock resource on the web. In any case, I could not stomach working with him anymore. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Ronnies mother was afraid to fly, because as a girl she had witnessed an air crash where nine people died. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? She grew up in Lawton and was a 1974 graduate of Lawton High School and a 1978 graduate of . North America. After graduating from Huntsville High School, she attended Mount Vernon College and the University of Alabama, Huntsville, where she studied Political . I mean that from the bottom of my heart. Bill Beemont 04/29/1924 - 12/09/2022 Bill Beemont, 98, passed away, December 9, 2022. Its possible the group might not have gotten back together without Collins urging. We had problems on the plane before that last flight, Elson says. By the next day, the injured were scattered over three hospitals where some would remain for weeks. He told those people in Scotland: I dont think Ill be back over to see you, to play for you anymore because I have never felt like Id live to be 30. He was 29 when he said that., Skynyrd arent haunted by Ronnie Van Zant, says Jeff Carlisi. I thought, well, thats music to my ears, Billingsley told a reporter from swampland.com in 2003 (opens in new tab). Van Zant had written the song as a cautionary tale to his band members, inspired by Rossingtons near-fatal 1977 car crash and the feeling that some of them were pissing away their future with excessive drinking, drugging, and carousing. After a performance in November 1981, he got a phone call telling him that his heavily pregnant wife had started bleeding in a movie theatre and was rushed to a local hospital, where she later died. Collins apparently liked what he heard because the pair came back the next night and again the next weekend. Beverly and her twin sister, Deborah Ann Watts Ross, entered . The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. The temper of the Van Zants. If you're an artist and think we'd like your music, get in touch. He was in serious but stable condition this morning, said University Hospital spokeswoman Leslie Heinrich. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, amzn_assoc_region = "US"; Collins taught me how to play the riff to the The Last Time the correct way. Detective D.B. See Photos. Both were thrown through the drivers-side window. Collins wanted to put a new Allen Collins Band together, and he wanted me as lead singer and second guitarist. But it was one of those things where intuition should have been followed. So we kept going and left him lying there face-down for what seemed like a very long time. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? Collins developed chronic pneumonia and died in January 1990. Cause: pneumonia resulting from injuries sustained in the car accident. There is something unnerving about the Northern Florida swamps at night. Allen was great. Obituary of Edward R. Watts. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. Obituary. Scott came over to our band that afternoon and literally saved the day. The next thing I knew wed be doing 100. Collins would also yank the steering wheel. I started teaching him how to box when he was two-and-a-half years old, remembered Van Zants father in 1996. He picked up his bleary-eyed and grumbling troops in his battered old 55 Chevy truck every morning at 7.30am, stopping for jugs of coffee at the donut shop where his mother worked. I used to send flowers to the graves every October 20th for about 10 years. The horror of all these women waiting to hear if their husbands were dead? One thing breeds another, you know. Neither did Larkin Collins. Drag images here or select from your computer for Debra Jean Watts Lizama memorial. Rossington was raised by a single mother, his father dying when he was just a tyke. Moore estimated the car was traveling at 70 to 90 mph before the accident." The offending driver was Collins, of course. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? Dont hit him straight in the face, youll only break his nose.. I think they made the type of music that transcended fashion, Curbishley said. And the third was he wanted me to know that he was okay. He puts his guitar down and says, Ill be right back. After waiting an hour, we go into the house to look for him. We were in Tokyo at some bar and we were drinking lots of sake. Their antics reached such proportions that many viewed the airplane crash as a symbolic culmination of the bands violent lifestyle. Parked outside a club in San Francisco, a rather large Chicano man wandered onto their tour bus, called the Great White Wonder, demanding to have a look around. The brackish water is dull with a green sheen, while Spanish moss drips from the branches of the oak and cypress trees, coating them in poisonous putrid icing, swallowing the sounds of animals and the snap of a gators jaws. I remember once Ronnie stuck a wooden coat hanger down his pants at a bar to fight to defend the honour of one of the girl singers. I fail to see any humor in this. Jittery types like to avoid the still waters of Lake Delancy, one of Van Zants favourite fishing spots, where people have claimed to have spotted his ghost, dressed in black and striding purposely towards the water with the yellow cane fishing pole he was buried with tucked under his right arm. A system error has occurred. Artimus, with a broken sternum and three of his ribs poking out of the skin in his chest, made his way to a farm house a painful three-quarters of a mile away, impelled by one thought. Four years later, wheelchair bound Collins would be dead. From Dec. 4, 2020 onward, our daily celebrity news obituaries can be found at Legacy.com. July 23, 1954 January 8, 2020. I called everybody on the list. . He told me so many times that I realised that he really knew what he was talking about., Former Skynyrd drummer Artimus Pyle was often nearby when Van Zant foretold his own demise. Someone pulled a knife. Died instantly of a massive head injury. Advertisement. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. The tail section broke off, the cockpit broke off and buckled underneath, and both wings broke off. They were like, I have this funny feeling about this. Reynolds and Collins picked Price and me up to bring us to Collins estate in Mandarin. Debra Watts Lizama, 31, who lived with Collins, was killed in the accident, said Mike Kee, a police spokesman. Collins gets up and dusts himself off. She grew up in La Boca on her family's farm and attended Ignacio Schools. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. ASHTABULA - Edward Revelle Watts, 72, of Myrtle Avenue died Monday, February 17, 2020 at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland from injuries sustained in a house fire. Before you knew it, Rudge was managing Skynyrd. amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; Log In. Debra Watts. Collins grabs the mic. A few days later my friends and I ate the acid. The bandmates, almost to a man, had lost their fathers early on. She attended Haskell Indian College in Lawrence, KS and later Southwest Colorado . Add to your scrapbook. The tale boasts all the elements of a southern gothic soap opera. Cassie said, Im going to ride in the truck, but she changed her mind at the last minute. With little choice, Allen pleaded guilty to DUI charges. AP News - 814 days ago. Ms. Gutmann was born on May 21, 1938, to the late William J. and Marie Fisher Gutmann. You know how they always say, Who died and made you boss? Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossingtons soft Florida drawl is made even softer by 3000 miles of phone line. The guitarist never seemed to recover from the loss, and he became even more extreme in his habits, retreating from friends and family. Road manager Dean Kilpatrick and the aircrafts two pilots. Debra was born April 19, 1955, to Max and Ellen House Watts in Durango, Colorado. Year should not be greater than current year. Van Zant had no compunction about hitting a band member across the mouth if he saw some dereliction of duty. At first he denied having been driving, but fibers from his shirt, embedded in the drivers-side door, indicated otherwise, plus there was a huge bruise on his right side where Watts had collided with him. The crowd roars. All gone. Lois was born and raised in Lebanon. Sign up below to get the latest from Classic Rock, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox! Gregg Allman said, on meeting Ronnie Van Zant in 1972. Guitarist Steve Gaines. The survivors werent aware that the cause of the crash was due to the pilots running out of fuel, so they feared the plane would burst into flame at any moment. It paid off. Its not just smashing up a room they skinned a cat!. His beautiful Les Paul is broken, the headstock severed from the neck, dangling by the strings. Assuming this is some kind of redneck humor, I grab the mic and say, Can yall say Fuck you, Allen?. Ill kick anyones ass in this room right now.. Copyright The Jitney. Beverly passed away on April 8, 2020, at the young age of 48. Burial will be under the direction of Becker-Rabon Funeral Home. Geni requires JavaScript! One story has it that Ronnie would point his finger at a spot in water and tell his fishing companion to put his pole at exactly the spot and within minutes a fish would be flapping on the hook. You could hear it in the antebellum taunt of Sweet Home Alabama, to the prosaic plea of Gimme Three Steps, and the stately requiem of Free Bird.