Ronald Wayne Van Zant (January 15, 1948 – October 20, 1977)[1] was an American singer, best known as the founding lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd.

The band's rise to prominence began in 1973 with the release of their debut album, (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd), which had a string of hits that included "I Ain't the One", "Tuesday's Gone", "Gimme Three Steps", "Simple Man", and what became their signature song, "Free Bird", later dedicated to the late Duane Allman of The Allman Brothers Band.

[5] On October 20, 1977, a plane carrying the band between shows from Greenville, South Carolina, to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, ran out of fuel outside Gillsburg, Mississippi.

[9] Lynyrd Skynyrd backup singer JoJo Billingsley recalled that Van Zant had begun referring to himself as "The Mississippi Kid" in the months before his death, despite having been born and raised in Florida.

The aforementioned Ed King recalled the intense sadness of Van Zant's funeral, noting that people in attendance were so overcome with grief that they were literally falling down.

Judy Van Zant-Jenness founded Freebird Live in 1999, a music venue located in Jacksonville Beach, Florida.

Van Zant was an avid fisherman and enjoyed baseball; he was a fan of the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees.

[2] Van Zant had several run-ins with the law, most notably in 1975, when he was arrested for hurling a table out of a second-story hotel room window.

[15][16] The Ronnie Van Zant Memorial Park, funded by fans and family of the band, was built on Sandridge Road in Lake Asbury, Florida, nearby his hometown of Jacksonville.

In the reformed Lynyrd Skynyrd's music video for the posthumously-released track "What's Your Name" closes with a white hat similar to Ronnie's sitting atop a microphone.

Ronnie's daughter Tammy, who was only 10 years old when he died, dedicated the album title track, "Freebird Child" as well as the music video to her father in 2009.

"The All-Night Bus Ride", the 8th episode of season 1 of the Showtime series Roadies, was made in honor of Van Zant and the band.

A dedication on the back of the original record sleeve includes a poem, the last line of which is "Fly on, proud bird, you're free at last.