He is not the single child of his family as he had a younger brother named Ronald Wayne Van Zant or, as everyone calls him, Ronnie Van Zant, who unfortunately died in a plane crash. In his spare time, Van Zant enjoyed baseball, and was a fan of the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox, and loved to fish. in Gillsburg, Mississippi, USA, This form allows you to report an error or to submit additional information about this family tree: Ronnie VAN ZANT (1948), Copyright Wikipdia authors - This article is under licence CC BY-SA 3.0. Melody Van Zant's date and month of birth is not known. Ronnie Van Zant keeps his personal and love life private. He was born in Jacksonville, Florida, the son of E. C. Van Zant who was the cousin of musicians Donnie, Johnny, and Ronnie Van Zant. In 1973 Skynyrd was offered another record deal, this time from MCA. Van Zant's father later noted that, "God was a jealous god. Sometimes he would make his dark prophecy over drinks too many drinks, some friends consider in retrospect. With 2 genderless names, no one is quite sure which is the mother and which is the father. On October 20, 1977, Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines died in a plane crash in Mississippi. Also learn how He earned most of Ronnie Van Zant networth? Ifs. Ronnie Van Zant, Lynyrd Skynyrd's original lead singer, was tragically lost in a plane crash with other band members. The two half brothers loved Rock n Roll and pursued successful careers in music. Remembering Lynyrd Skynyrd's Deadly 1977 Plane Crash. He was the oldest son of six children (3 sisters and 2 brothers - musicians Donnie and Johnny). American singer and founding member of Lynyrd Skynyrd (1948-1977) - Ronnie Van Zant was born in Jacksonville (largest city in Florida, United States) on January 15th, 1948 and died in Gillsburg (town in Mississippi) on October 20th, 1977 at the age of 29. The group formed as young musicians in Jacksonville, Florida before agreeing to the name Lynyrd Skynyrd an inside joke about a gym teacher who deplored long haired musicians. They remained married up until his death in 1977. His family donated the 90-acre park for families to enjoy. "Sweet Home Alabama was an answer song to Neil Young's "Alabama" and "Southern Man". The guys nicked named the little place Hell House. The common belief that Van Zant and Young were rivals is incorrect; they were actually fans of each other and considered collaborating on several occasions. Dating is to describe a stage in a persons life when he or she is actively pursuing romantic relationships with different people. Ronald Wayne Van Zant (January 15, 1948 - October 20, 1977) was an American lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and founding member of the. Ronnie attended Lee High School in Jacksonville with fellow band members Gary Rossington and Allen Collins. Ronald Wayne "Ronnie" Van Zant (January 15, 1948 - October 20, 1977) was an American lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and a founding member of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. He was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, to Lacy (1915-2004) and Marion (1929-2000) Van Zant. He was killed in a plane crash in 1977. VanZant turned it down. Ronnie aspired to be many things before finding his love for music. We plan on featuring Ronnie alongside Eddie van Halen, the Example Profile of the Week, in the Connection finder on December 2nd. Answer (1 of 5): Both. He was the older brother of the founder and vocalist of 38 Special, Donnie Van Zant, and of current Lynyrd Skynyrd lead vocalist Johnny Van Zant. He is the middle of three brothers, his older brother Ronnie was the original lead singer for Lynyrd Skynyrd who died in a 1977 plane crash in Mississippi along with five other members and associates of the band; his younger brother Johnny is Lynyrd Skynyrd's current lead singer. They had one daughter, Melody, born in 1976. The band gained a lot of notice right away -- all from neighbors who couldn't stand the noise. ", Van Zant married Nadine Inscoe on January 2, 1967. Real Name: Ronald Wayne Van Zant. One of his biggest sources of support was his father Lacy Van Zant. The rest of the band was seriously injured. screen.colorDepth:screen.pixelDepth))+';u'+escape(document.URL)+ But fate threw a terrible curve ball to VanZant and Lynyrd Skynyrd fans. Styles. An error has occured while loading the map. Lynyrd Skynyrds biggest hit single was "Sweet Home Alabama" from the album Second Helping. . Van Zant had been a paternalistic figure in the band, the clear leader of the group. Ronnie Van Zant (1948-1977) was an American singer and musician, member of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, of which he was a founding member, lead vocalist, and primary lyricist. Early life. #LynyrdSkynyrd pic.twitter.com/rWBKwDg9JN, The Greatest Bands and Musicians of the 1970s. Many thought this to be because he was horribly disfigured or even decapitated during the 1977 plane crash. He is one of the Richest Rock Singer who was born in FL. Many celebrities, too, struggle with their own mental health. Those killed instantly on 20 Oct 1977 in Gillsburg, Amite County, Mississippi, USA included the pilot and co-pilot, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, band members Steve Gaines and Cassie Gaines and Ronnie Van Zant who was 29. 1970s. A 1977 plane crash killed Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines. He is from USA. The following statement was made on the Find-a-Grave entry of his current resting place in Jacksonville: Due to the June 29th, 2000 vandalization of his original grave site, his casket was moved to this new location and buried in a massive underground concrete burial vault. His body was relocated after vandals broke into his tomb and that of bandmate Steve Gaines on June 29, 2000. Jimmie Van Zant (born Jimmie Kelsay; 1956 - April 7, 2016) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Lynyrd Skynyrds name is a mock tribute to a gym teacher the boys had in high school, Leonard Skinner, who disapproved of male students with long hair.SKYNYRD. The neighbors were given a break when the Noble Five found an empty house out of town on a huge farm. Ronnie also tossed around the idea of becoming a stock car racer. Lyricist, vocalist, and founding member of the southern rock group Lynyrd Skynyrd, the group that released classic hits like Sweet Home Alabama and Free Bird. He and Gary Rossington were bandmates in Lynyrd Skynyrd. Jimmie Van Zant (1957 - 2016) was the first cousin of Ronnie, Donnie, and Johnny Van Zant, and a musician in his own right. Born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida to Lacy (1915-2004) and Marion (1929-2000) Van . Ronald Wayne Van Zant was born on 15 January 1948, in Jacksonville, Florida USA, to Lacy and Marion Van Zant. Choose from the playground, disc golf course, tennis/pickleball courts, basketball courts, soccer field, softball field, volleyball court, a nature trail, and a . Every former member I've seen or heard interviewed (which is pretty much all of them) did love Ronnie. Ronnie attended Lee High School in Jacksonville with fellow band members Gary Rossington and Allen Collins. Lynyrd Skynyrd disbanded after the crash, but was reformed in 1987 with Ronnie's younger brother taking over as lead singer. He was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, to Lacy (19152004) and Marion (19292000) Van Zant. He would travel with his father sometimes, listening to the truck radio the whole way. Login to find your connection. I been told all my life that somehow I was related to Ronnie. The late, great Ronnie Van Zant was born this day in 1948. Ronnie was the only one of my children who had second sight, Van Zants father said in 1995. While the band was busy jammin' new riffs in the Hell . [3] He had several siblings including two younger brothers who also became noted rock vocalists. [6] The band's first gig was in December 1964 and earned them $10 ($2 each). After a while there was a name change to the Noble Five and the group began landing gigs at local dances, the pay usually being gas money and drinks. 15/01/1948 | Happy Birthday Ronnie Van Zant Ronnie Van Zant, born January 15, 1948, was a Southern rock icon as the lead singer of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Van Zant was buried in Orange Park, Florida, in 1977. "Ronnie." Van Zant recorded a few more albums as "Last of the Wild Ones," and "Round Two" in 1981. According to the cemetery listing website Find-a-Grave, Van Zant was reburied at Riverside Memorial Park in Jacksonville, near the grave of his father Lacy and mother Marion. Indeed, Van Zant was right about when he would die. Ronnie Van Zants income source is mostly from being a successful Soundtrack. Notably, Ronnie was interested in becoming a boxer (as Muhammad Ali was one of his idols) and in playing professional baseball. He was the oldest son of six children (3 sisters and 2 brothers - musicians Donnie and Johnny). By the end of the decade, they'd christened themselves Lynyrd Skynyrd, after Leonard Skinner, a hated high-school sports . Ronnie Van Zant has died on Oct 20, 1977 ( age 29). Jarrell Plantation. I enjoy creating and spreading knowledgeable content for everyone around the world and try my best not to leave even the smallest of mistakes go unnoticed. Full body measurements, dress & shoe size will be updated soon. Lynyrd Skynyrd's biggest hit single was "Sweet Home Alabama" from their follow-up album Second Helping, an answer to Neil Young's "Alabama" and "Southern Man." Tragically, far too many celebrities have met an untimely end. VanZant was born on January 15, 1948 . 38 Special broke through in 1979 with the band's third album, "Rockin' Into The Night.". Many artists influenced him during those early years, one of them being country singer Merle Haggard. He enjoyed baseball, and was a fan of the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees. Donny was born on 11th June of the year 1952 in Jacksonville of Florida, the United States of America, to parents, father Marion and mother, Lucy Van Zant. The little boy, who had once dreamed of going pro in baseball, had hit a home run with his music. Pyle recalls a moment when Lynyrd Skynyrd was in Japan: "Ronnie and I were in Tokyo, Japan, and Ronnie told me that he would never live to see thirty and that he would go out with his boots on, in other words, on the road. His first marriage was to Nadine Inscoe and during this marriage Ronnie's first daughter Tammy Van Zant was born. Share with your friends. ' for 24 hours is shown" '+ 'target="_blank">