NASHVILLE |FM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/LATHUM NELSON
LYNYRD SKYNYRD LEAD GUITARIST GARY ROSSINGTON
RECOVERS FROM SURGERY;
BAND TO DELAY ALBUM AND TOUR PLANS
LYNYRD SKYNYRD have delayed the May 6 release of VICIOUS CYCLE on Sanctuary Records, their first new studio album in four years, which will now come out in late June as founding lead guitarist GARY ROSSINGTON has undergone open heart surgery, with a full recovery expected to take two to three months. At the same time, the band will be rescheduling all tour dates that were confirmed through May 25 for later in the year.
“Fortunately,” says Martha Smith, M.D., Gary’s cardiologist, “he came in for a routine screening and was found to have severe coronary artery disease. He was taken immediately to surgery and had a successful quintuple bypass. He is doing extremely well and a full recovery is expected within two to three months.”
In a joint statement, the members of LYNYRD SKYNYRD said: “Gary is doing fine after his surgery, and we want him to take the time to properly recover so he can return to his first love, which is the band he started 30 years ago. For all the fans who’ve bought tickets to the upcoming shows and who’ve been waiting for the new album, hang in there–we’ll be back soon.”
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