influenced many subsequent musicians, including Metallica bassist Cliff Burton. Personal life In 2011, King underwent a successful heart transplant. In 2017, he appeared as a customer in the Discovery Channel docudrama Moonshiners, buying $30,000 worth of premium gin. According to a Nashville news station WTVF, King had been battling cancer in the months prior to his death. King died in his Nashville, Tennessee, home on August 22, 2018, at 68 years of age. His death was announced through his personal Facebook page. Following King's death, former Lynyrd Skynyrd bandmate Rossington released a statement saying, "Ed was our brother, and a great songwriter and guitar player. I know he will be reunited with the rest of the boys in Rock and Roll Heaven. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family." References External links 1949 births 2018 deaths Lynyrd Skynyrd members American rock guitarists American male guitarists Lead guitarists Musicians from Glendale, California Guitarists from California 20th-century American guitarists Kidney transplant recipients Strawberry Alarm Clock members Blues rock musicians