Ronnie Van Zant
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. The passengers had been informed about potential problems with the Convair CV-240 and were told to brace for a crash. Van Zant died on impact from head injuries suffered after the aircraft struck a tree. Bandmates Steve Gaines and Cassie Gaines, along with assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, pilot Walter McCreary, and co-pilot William Gray, were also killed. The rest of the band was seriously injured. Van Zant was 29 years old.
Ronnie Von
Some of his greater successes include the hits "Meu Bem" - a Brazilian version of The Beatles' "Girl" - and "A Praça". He quickly earned the nickname "O pequeno príncipe", or Little Prince, after participating in an interview with Hebe Camargo. Ronnie started hosting his own television program in 1966, "O Pequeno Mundo de Ronnie Von". Os Mutantes became a regular guest band on the show. Besides opening the door for the band, Ronnie Von also brought Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso to appear on the show regularly, which would be the beginnings of the Tropicália movement, even though he was never part of the movement. During this period, the press tried to create a supposed rivalry between him and Roberto Carlos.