Family Plans Concert To Celebrate Life of Former Lynyrd Skynyrd Drummer

Family members, close friends and fans will soon have a chance to say goodbye to Bob Burns, the original drummer for iconic Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd who was killed in a car crash.

Memorial services for Robert Lewis “Bob” Burns Jr. will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 11 at NorthPointe Church at 30 Orchard Road in Adairsville. The family will receive close friends from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday at the church.

According to his obituary, Burns wanted his life to be “celebrated, not mourned.” With that in mind, his daughters plan to honor their father’s memory with a concert.

In lieu of flowers, fans can make donations to the ’In Loving Memory of Bob Burns Jr.’ account on GoFundMe.

“He often talked about the connection to his fans through his music, watching people dance through the music he played,” his daughter Kristen Burns wrote on GoFundMe. “He stated many times that he never wanted a funeral, but he wanted a celebration through music and an epic farewell concert.”

Burns stated most of the proceeds from the concert will go “to something that was near and dear to both him and his beloved wife’s heart: helping with rescued and abandoned animals, through the Humane Society and other organizations specific to sheltering and feeding animals and finding loving homes.”

Burns died late Friday from injuries sustained in a single-vehicle accident in Cartersville. The crash occurred around 11:56 p.m. April 3 when Burns was driving northbound on Tower Ridge Road and his vehicle left the westside of the roadway while approaching a right curve, said Georgia State Patrol spokesperson Tracey Watson.

“After leaving the roadway, the driver struck a mailbox and a tree with the front of the vehicle,” Watson said.

Burns was born on Nov. 24, 1950, in Gainesville, Florida, to Robert Lewis and Jane Elizabeth Blasingame Burns.

His career started in the mid 1960s in his parents’ carport at their Jacksonville home when he and several childhood friends launched One Percent, which would later become Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Lynyrd Skynyrd popularized southern rock music during the 1970s. Burns’ contributions as a drummer garnered him international fame, including recognition from the U. S. Congress and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, his obituary states.

He ”briefly met the love of his life,” Marsha Lynn, at show during the early 1970s and two decades later, the two would meet again and eventually marry, the obituary notes. Marsha Burns passed away in December 2011.

“A humble man, he never let his fame go to his head and was steadfastly committed to his fans, never too busy to stop and talk, or pose for a photograph,“ his obituary goes on to say. “Mr. Burns also loved to write, enjoyed nice cars, had his own style, with and was rarely seen without his signature boots, cowboy hat, carrying a knife (or knives). He often studied the word of God and would encourage others to seek the understanding of God’s love.”

Burns is survived by daughters, Lauren Jadyn “Lou” Burns and Kristen Lynn “KiKi” Burns; parents, Robert Lewis Burns, Sr. and Jane Blasingame Burns; sister, Deborah and Michael McGuire and Patti Lynn Burns; brothers, Michael Alan Burns and J. Daran and Jennifer Burns; several nieces and nephews.

R. Dudley Barton & Son Funeral Home in Adairsville is in charge of the funeral arrangements.

Photo: screenshot of a YouTube video posted in January 2013, which shows original Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Bob Burns playing “Sweet Home Alabama.”