Cassie Gaines
Cassie LaRue Gaines (January 9, 1948 – October 20, 1977) was an American singer, best known for her work with Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. Biography. Gaines was invited by JoJo Billingsley and Ronnie Van Zant to join Lynyrd Skynyrd as a backup singer. She had never heard of the band at the time, so Billingsley lent her a copy of the band's first two albums: "(Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd)" and "Second Helping". In late 1975, Gaines, Billingsley, and Leslie Hawkins formed The Honkettes, a female gospel vocal trio for Skynyrd. When Lynyrd Skynyrd was in need of a  guitar player to replace recently departed Ed King, Cassie recommended her younger brother, Steve, who joined the band soon after. Plane crash. On October 20, 1977, a Convair CV-240 carrying the band between shows from Greenville, South Carolina to Baton Rouge, Louisiana crashed outside of Gillsburg, Mississippi. The crash killed Ronnie Van Zant, Steve and Cassie Gaines, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, as well as pilot Walter McCreary and co-pilot William Gray. Gaines had initially refused to board the flight and was convinced by other members against her better judgment. Her hesitation was due to a small fire on  one of the engines the previous day. She intended to travel in the tour trucks but boarded the flight due to Van Zant's persuasion. Gaines survived the initial accident but bled to death while rescuers attempted to reach the accident site and remove victims for medical treatment. According to controversial claims by survivor Billy Powell, Gaines bled to death after the accident in Powell's arms from deep lacerations. Burial. Cassie and Steve Gaines were buried in Orange Park, Florida. On February 15, 1979, the mother of Steve and Cassie, also named Cassie LaRue Gaines, was killed in an  automobile accident near the cemetery where Steve and Cassie are buried. She was buried near her children.