Bob Burns, a founding member of rock group Lynyrd Skynyrd, has died in a car crash at the age of 64, reports the BBC.

The band’s drummer, who played on their first two albums, lost his life when his car veered off the road on Friday, hitting a mailbox and a tree. Georgia State Patrol spokeswoman Tracey Watson said Burns, who was not wearing his seatbelt, was killed in the wreck.

No other cars were involved in the accident, and Burns was alone in the vehicle. Police are trying to establish if weather was a factor.

The band took their name from their PE  teacher in school, Leonard Skinner. Burns performed alongside singer Ronnie Van Zant, bassist Larry Junstrom and guitarists Gary Rossington and Allen Collins in Lynyrd Skynyd from 1966 to 1974.

During that time they recorded such classics as Simple Man, Sweet Home Alabama, and Free Bird. 

Burns eventually left the band, citing exhaustion from their touring schedule. He was replaced on the 1975 album “Nuthin Fancy” by Artimus Pyle.

He was not aboard the plane that crashed in 1977, killing three of the band’s members, including Van Zant.
The group broke up after the tragedy, but got back together in 1987 with Van Zant’s younger brother, Johnny, handling lead vocals

Lynyrd Skynyrd was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006; Burns rejoined the group for a one-off performance at the venue.

Rossington posted a fond memorial on the Lynyrd Skynyrd Facebook page. “Well, today I’m at a loss for words, but I just remember Bob being a funny guy. He used to do skits for us and make us laugh all the time, he was hilarious!”

“Ironically, since we played Jacksonville yesterday, Dale, my daughter and I, went by the cemetery to see some of the guys in the band and my parents’ grave sites.

“On the way back, we went by Bob Burns’ old house. It was there in the carport where we used to first start to practice with Skynyrd.

“My heart goes out to his family and God bless him and them in this sad time. He was a great, great drummer.”