Wilkeson Buried; Public Memorial Wednesday
Family, Band Members Attend Private Services For Skynyrd Bassist
Lynyrd Skynyrd bassist Leon Wilkeson was laid to rest this morning in a private burial service In Jacksonville.
Members of the band paid their respects Monday at a private viewing held for his family, the band and the crew.
A public memorial service for Wilkeson will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Evergreen Cemetary.
Immediately following Wilkeson's burial, Dale Krantz Rossington and her husband, founding band member and guitarist Gary Rossington, left for Indiana to attend the funeral of Dale's father, who passed away on Saturday.
"My mother postponed daddy's memorial service a day so I could be here in Jacksonville for Leon's viewing and burial," Dale said.
Warren Krantz was 82 and had suffered from Alzheimer's disease for several years.
Wilkeson, who was 49, was one of Lynyrd Skynyrd's founding members. He was found dead on Friday in a Ponte Vedra hotel room.
His bodyguard, Myron Gray, Jr., who was staying in an adjoining room, told police that Wilkeson said Friday morning that he wasn't feeling well and wanted to sleep some more. When Gray checked on him again at 2 p.m., Wilkeson was dead.
The St. Johns County Sheriff's office reported nothing suspicious in the room, and had no reason to suspect foul play. An autopsy by the St. Johns County medical examiner found lung and liver disease, but no obvious cause of death. Toxicology results for drugs and alcohol won't be complete for at least two weeks.
Lynyrd Skynyrd was formed in Jacksonville in the late 1960s by a group of high school friends. With hits such as "Free Bird," "Sweet Home Alabama," "Gimme Three Steps," "That Smell," and "Call Me the Breeze," the band became a staple in American rock arenas.
Ten years after a plane crash in 1977 that killed two band members and a background vocalist, the band reunited. The group was on a week-long vacation from their summer tour when Wilkeson died.
The group's next four concerts were cancelled, but they plan to resume their tour on Aug. 9, and will keep their homecoming performance at Jacksonville's Metropolitan Park on Aug. 23.
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Members of the band paid their respects Monday at a private viewing held for his family, the band and the crew.
A public memorial service for Wilkeson will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Evergreen Cemetary.
Immediately following Wilkeson's burial, Dale Krantz Rossington and her husband, founding band member and guitarist Gary Rossington, left for Indiana to attend the funeral of Dale's father, who passed away on Saturday.
"My mother postponed daddy's memorial service a day so I could be here in Jacksonville for Leon's viewing and burial," Dale said.
Warren Krantz was 82 and had suffered from Alzheimer's disease for several years.
Wilkeson, who was 49, was one of Lynyrd Skynyrd's founding members. He was found dead on Friday in a Ponte Vedra hotel room.
His bodyguard, Myron Gray, Jr., who was staying in an adjoining room, told police that Wilkeson said Friday morning that he wasn't feeling well and wanted to sleep some more. When Gray checked on him again at 2 p.m., Wilkeson was dead.
The St. Johns County Sheriff's office reported nothing suspicious in the room, and had no reason to suspect foul play. An autopsy by the St. Johns County medical examiner found lung and liver disease, but no obvious cause of death. Toxicology results for drugs and alcohol won't be complete for at least two weeks.
Lynyrd Skynyrd was formed in Jacksonville in the late 1960s by a group of high school friends. With hits such as "Free Bird," "Sweet Home Alabama," "Gimme Three Steps," "That Smell," and "Call Me the Breeze," the band became a staple in American rock arenas.
Ten years after a plane crash in 1977 that killed two band members and a background vocalist, the band reunited. The group was on a week-long vacation from their summer tour when Wilkeson died.
The group's next four concerts were cancelled, but they plan to resume their tour on Aug. 9, and will keep their homecoming performance at Jacksonville's Metropolitan Park on Aug. 23.
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