Lynyrd Skynyrd Guitarist Who Co-Wrote 'Sweet Home Alabama,' Dead at 68 Ed King died in his Nashville home, his family announced on Facebook. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member played guitar for Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1972 to 1975 and from 1987 to 1996. The year after King left the band in 1975, he was replaced by Steve Gaines. Gaines and lead singer Ronnie Van Zant were among the band members killed in a 1977 plane crash. King left the band again in 1996 due to
congestive heart failure. "Sweet Home Alabama" reached number eight
on U.S. charts in 1974. The song, written in answer to Neil Young's 'Southern Man,' is widely considered an anthem of the
American South. It is included in 'Rolling Stone Magazine's' list, "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time." The rock and roller had been battling
lung cancer. His cause of death has not yet been announced.