Trivia

Had a closed casket funeral. Many thought this to be because he was horribly disfigured or even decapitated during the 1977 plane crash. That is not true. Ronnie had a bruise about the size of a quarter on his temple (which was the cause of death - blunt head trauma). His wife, Judy, remembered that Ronnie once said he did not wish to have people "gawking" at his body, so she made it a closed casket funeral.

His grand-daughter is named after him.

The song "Freebird" is now played as a musical tribute in Ronnie's memory.

Ronnie was buried with his fishing pole and his trademark black hat.

Brother Donnie was a founding member of rock band .38 Special. After Ronnie's death, his brother Johnny was hired to replace him in Lynyrd Skynyrd.

On June 29 2000, his grave was vandalized, this prompted his family to move his remains to an unknown location.

Was buried next to Steve and Cassie Gaines at Jacksonville Memorial Gardens in Jacksonville, Florida

One of his biggest sources of support was his father Lacy Van Zant. The elder Van Zant died on August 3, 2004 in Jacksonville, Florida of pulmonary problems. He was 89 years old.

His body has been moved to Riverside Memorial Park, however his original Memorial Mausoleum is still located at Jacksonville Memory Gardens.

The song "Free Bird" was written as a simple love song, but later came to be dedicated in concert to guitarist Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers Band, who died in a motorcycle crash October 1971.

The song "I Take A lot Of Pride In What I Am" was played as Ronnie was laid to rest.

Highly praised for his songwriting abilities.

Had 2 daughters: Tammy and Melody

The first pressing of Lynyrd Skynyrd's final album "Street Survivors" showed a photo of the band members engulfed in flames on the cover. It had been on the market for only 3 days at the time of the band's plane crash, so it was recalled and replaced with a photo that originally appeared on the back cover. In both of the photos, Van Zant is wearing a Neil Young "Tonight's the Night" t-shirt (an album which thematically explores premature rock star death). "Street Survivors" was released on Monday October 17 1977, Ronnie died on Thursday October 20 1977, about 18.52 Central Daylight Time, according to the N.T.S.B. crash report.

Was influenced by the Allman Brothers Band - Duane Allman in particular.

According to guitarist Ed King, Ronnie Van Zant had a particular way of listening to ideas for songs. The singer would be sat in a corner of a couch and would keep his eyes closed and his head lowered. If he liked someone's idea for a song, Van Zant would gesture for the other person to continue delivering his inspiration.

Ronnie did not wear shoes on stage. He mostly acted bare feet.

2 brothers: Johnny Van Zant and Donnie Van Zant.

A character in the supernatural thriller called The Coffin (2010) was named after him, in his honor. One of the writers is a big Lynyrd Skynyrd fan.

Was the subject of the 2001 Southern Rock Opera album by The Drive-by Truckers.

Planned to produce the debut album for fellow southern rockers Molly Hatchet, but was tragically killed in the plane crash before he could do so.

Was the eldest out of five children.

As a boy, Ronnie Van Zant got into several fistfights - something which would occur many times as an adult.

Before deciding on a career as a vocalist, Van Zant had inspirations to succeed in various sports. These ranged from boxing to running.

Known for being a stern taskmaster, as leader of Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Could be quite harsh in his criticism, if a member of Lynyrd Skynyrd made a mistake of any kind.

His father - a truck driver - was rarely a part of Van Zant's life, being absent from home a lot.