Rick Diamond/WireImageFormer Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Ed King, who played on the legendary Southern rock band’s first three albums, died on Wednesday at his home in Nashville, according to a post on his official Facebook page. He was 68.
Prior to joining Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1972, King was a founding member of the Los Angeles psychedelic band Strawberry Alarm Clock, which scored a #1 hit in 1967 with “Incense and Peppermints.”
King initially joined Lynyrd Skynyrd during the making of the band’s debut album, (Pronounced ‘L?h-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd), and played bass on most of the record when Leon Wilkeson briefly left the group in 1973. After Wilkeson rejoined Skynyrd later that year, Ed switched back to guitar, and became part of the three-guitar attack that helped define the band’s sound.
During his tenure in Lynyrd Skynyrd, King co-wrote a number of songs, including “Sweet Home Alabama,” “Poison Whiskey,” “Saturday Night Special” and “Workin’ for MCA.” He also famously came up with the main riff forf “Sweet Home Alabama.”
Ed quit the band during its 1975 tour, explaining in an interview in the recent Lynyrd Skynyrd documentary If I Leave Here Tomorrow that he decided to leave because of conflicts with singer Ronnie Van Zant.
King rejoined Lynyrd Skynyrd when the band reunited in 1987, and continued playing with them until 1996, when heart issues forced him to exit the group. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Lynyrd Skynyrd in 2006.
Founding Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington paid homage to King in a Facebook post that reads, “Ed was our brother, and a great songwriter and guitar player. I know he will be reunited with the rest of the boys in Rock and Roll Heaven. Our thoughts and prayers are with [his wife] Sharon and his family.”
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