Legendary singer-songwriter Peter Frampton made a rare public appearance on the CMT Awards in Austin, Texas on Sunday.
The Frampton Comes Alive star attended the show to take part in a tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s late Gary Rossington, nearly a month after his death at age 71.
The British-born musician introduced a special performance in honor of Rossington, the last original member of the iconic rock band known for hits like Free Bird, Sweet Home Alabama and Gimme Three Steps, to name a few.
Appearing at awards shows was no easy feat, in the wake of Frampton’s diagnosis of inclusion body myositis, a degenerative muscle disorder four years earlier.
“I am here tonight to honor a dear friend and traveling companion we have recently lost. Gary Rossington was an icon of southern rock and a founding member of our beloved group, Lynyrd Skynyrd,” the Show Me The Way rocker, 72, said of Rossington, who was a lead and rhythm guitarist.
Tribute: Peter Frampton, 72, made a rare public appearance to pay tribute to the late Gary Rossington at the CMT Awards in Austin, Texas on Sunday, four years after his diagnosis of inclusion body myositis, a degenerative muscle disorder, four years earlier.
Frampton appeared to be in good spirits as he stood with a cane, then went on to praise his friend and the legendary Southern rockers.
‘Besides Ronnie Van Zant and Allen Collins. Not only did Gary help define the band’s sound, he also inspired millions of fans and musicians,” explains Frampton. “He’s now joined his fellow Skynyrd bandmates in rock ‘n’ roll heaven, but we’ll all enjoy their music forever.”
After his introduction, a group of musicians – Cody Johnson, Billy Gibbons, Paul Rodgers, Slash, Chuck Leavell, Warren Haynes, Wynonna Judd and LeAnn Rimes – took the stage to perform Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Simple Man and Sweet Home Alabama.
Rossington died March 5 at his home in Milton, Georgia, though a cause of death has not yet been disclosed.
The band spent touring small venues for five years under various names and band members until finally settling on Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1969.
By the time the band released their fifth studio album, Street Survivors (1977), Rossington, Collins and Van Zant formed the classic line-up that included Steve Gaines, Leon Wilkeson, Artimus Pyle and Billy Powell.
It entered the top 10 in the US and became a huge hit with fans thanks to classic songs such as What’s Your Name, That Smell and You Got That Right.
Unfortunately, just three days after the album’s release, the band’s chartered plane ran out of fuel and crashed into a wooded area near Gillsburg, Mississippi.
High praise: In addition to Ronnie Van Zant and Allen Collins. Not only did Gary help define the band’s sound, he also inspired millions of fans and musicians,” explains Frampton. “He’s now joined his fellow Skynyrd bandmates in rock ‘n’ roll heaven, but we’ll all enjoy their music forever”
End of the era: Rossington, who was 71 at the time of his death, was the last original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd and the last member of the classic lineup for the album Street Survivors (1977)
OG: The Jacksonville, Florida native helped found the band’s first version in the early 1960s and again when they changed the name to Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1969; he is seen in 2010
Lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, backing singer Cassie Gaines (Steve’s sister), assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, pilot Walter McCreary, and co-pilot William Gray were all killed on impact.
The fatal accident halted Lynyrd Skynyrd’s nascent career until Van Zant’s younger brother Ronnie Van Zant reformed the band 10 years later in 1987.
Frampton announced his retirement from touring in February 2019, explaining how his diagnosis of body myositis would eventually rob him of his ability to play guitar.
“I work out five days a week, and the more I work out, the better it is to maintain whatever muscle strength I have left,” the Baby I Love You Way singer shared. People in 2022, adding: “It’s starting to affect my arms and hands a bit, but it doesn’t affect my game much, so I still enjoy playing.”
He would further reveal that he had difficulty standing and walking, among other physical tasks.
Despite announcing his retirement from touring, Frampton has still played a number of shows, including a performance in Las Vegas last January.
Let the Music Play: Rossington (center) helped keep the band’s music alive with a new incarnation of Lynyrd Skynyrd over the years; the band is pictured in 2019