Lacy Van Zant wore a Lynyrd Skynyrd t-shirt to the 10-minute long funeral service, and had to be hospitalised for nervous exhaustion for three days afterward. So devastating was Skynyrds assault that the other acts showcased at Sounds Of The South, Mose Jones and Elijah, were forgotten. Theyre haunted by the spectre of what could have been. Theres a short-cut on State Road 15 running through Blackshear that leads back to U.S. 1. That led me to believe that Ronnie may have known that he did not have long to live. Ronnie was the only one of my children who had second sight, recalled his late father Lacy Van Zant in 1995. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. And then I didnt want him buried in the ground, I insisted on a crypt. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? There are no volunteers for this cemetery. I had to hold it up for him and fasten his strap (see photo). I kept calling to him, Come back, dont go away. I didnt want it to end.. Wife of Private. Im on the bandstand; Collins comes rushing toward me with a key-lime pie; I duck; he misses me and flings key-lime goo into my Echoplex. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. Five years after his wifes death, Collins car plunged over a ravine, killing his girlfriend, Debra Jean Watts, and paralysing him from the waist down. Please reset your password. I had been trained never to stop playing in the middle of a song no matter what happens, because if theres a melee, stopping will draw everyones attention, whereas if you keep playing, a lot of people wont notice. Lacy was in denial on the plane and hoped that there was a mistake and that his son was not dead. Or the time he knocked out two of Billy Powells teeth, not to mention the time he smashed a bottle and gored the back of Rossingtons hands in Hamburg, Germany, hissing Ill do it without you., What I recall most is Ronnie Van Zant wasnt the sort of person Id want to have an argument with, recalls Chris Charlesworth, a former Melody Maker journalist who became Skynyrds press officer. A few days later my friends and I ate the acid. The 20 injured had to wait in the mud for hours, while police and emergency workers carved out a makeshift road through the woods. Moore estimated the car was traveling at 70 to 90 mph before the accident." LIZAMA, Debra Jean. Its still a money machine, and the southern-rock style forged in Jacksonville refuses to die. Scrambling in the dark fearful of snakes, alligators, or worse the three finally flagged down a farmer named Johnny Mote, who had come to investigate what the mighty noise was that jarred him out of his house. You could hear it in the antebellum taunt of Sweet Home Alabama, to the prosaic plea of Gimme Three Steps, and the stately requiem of Free Bird. Dont hit him straight in the face, youll only break his nose.. Price looks at the stump and says, Ill bet you anything Allen did that., Look where the post is whacked off, he says. Drag images here or select from your computer for Debra Jean Watts Lizama memorial. In addition to probation, the judge ordered Collins to organize and participate in an anti-drunk-driving campaign. And damn that hurt, Van Zant said at the time. Debra was born April 19, 1955, to Max and Ellen House Watts in Durango, Colorado. This getup became Collins trademark for a time; he even wore white tennis shoes, the kind women wore. The five of us wound up at the Sugar Bowl, a teen club in a working-class subdivision called Cedar Hills, where several prominent musicians were raised, including Collins and future Skynyrd members Leon Wilkeson and Billy Powell, guitarist Jeff Carlisi (of .38 Special), singer-guitarist Don Barnes (also of .38), and keyboardist Kevin Elson (later sound mixer, recording engineer and producer). Violence was just part of the culture there. Collins emerged from the bathroom, stumbling up onto the bandstand, which had a railing in front. Collins was charged with DUI manslaughter. I saw them screaming and crying, and I saw fire. I woke up screaming, and my mom came running in going, Honey what is it? I said Mama, I dreamed the plane crashed! And she said, No honey, its just a dream. And I said No mom, its too real!, They had already sent me the itinerary, so the next day I called Greenville. Since we were just starting to get off on the acid, my friends and I hauled ass out of there. We had been playing poker right before the crash, and I was winning big. He was not supposed to be driving. Peace, love and understanding never made it to Jacksonville. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, At first he denied having been driving, but fibers from his shirt, embedded in the drivers-side door, indicated otherwise, plus there was a huge bruise on his right side where Watts had collided with him. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. Place of Burial: Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida, United States of America. Larry Junstrom. You can always change this later in your Account settings. Daughter of Horace Lionel WATTS and Arlena Ann Miller Trying to stay calmI realize he is messing with our headsI say, Allen, who is going to clean up your nice leather seats?, I mean you are scaring the shit out of us., Allen, if you want to kill yourself, thats fine, but please dont take us with you., He turns back to face us, left hand on the wheel, still doing 50 mph. See Photos. Gary wants me tell him everything I see. Make sure that the file is a photo. Bath Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. Drummer Artimus Pyle and crew members Ken Peden and Mark Frank stumbled through the wreckage to go for help. Among the dead, lead singer . Johnny Van Zant, who replaced him as the lead singer of Lynyrd Skynyrd, isnt sure. Collins recovered physically from the injuries and during the 80s he continued performing on the stage with The Rossington Collins Bandand later with his own Allen Collins Band which released one album, Here, There, & Back, in 1983, but broke up soon after that. Please enter your email and password to sign in. This browser does not support getting your location. But after his wife died, he became real bitter, even with me He never knew how many people he inspired because he died too early.. We had a day off, then a show, then a day off flying. All rights reserved. You know, prior to starting the Survivor tour, Ronnie gave my brother EC his best black hat and a beautiful ring that he used to wear. The reason Collins needed a chauffeur was because hed had his license revoked and was not allowed to drive. She grew up in La Boca on her family's farm and attended Ignacio Schools. Here, you can discover the world of southern rock with latest news, videos and (eventually) find information on all southern rock bands in one easy location. Death: January 29, 1986 (31) Duval, Florida, United States. Like the time Leon Wilkeson was caught staring at a girls breasts. Had he been older and wiser, he says, he never would have climbed those rickety steel stairs. Detective D.B. As Lynyrd Skynyrd got back together, Collins participated as a consultant on the tour, helping select set lists and he also made appearances on stage, talking about dangers of driving under the influence. Accusations of sexual and spousal abuse It seems that some terrible curse was determined to lay its claim on the surviving members. Van Zant had no compunction about hitting a band member across the mouth if he saw some dereliction of duty. Photo by Bill Delaney. Debra Watts (Chicken Little) See Photos. Van Zant took umbrage to the intrusion, and lost no time in raising his fists and thumping the intruder on the side of his head. People named Debra Watts. See Photos. Obituary. The tail section broke off, the cockpit broke off and buckled underneath, and both wings broke off. We start playing The Last Time. During the intro, Collins falls headfirst over the railing and hits the floor with his face. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. More cops materialized. I remember we were on the bus and Ronnie would be lying there with two pieces of raw meat on his eyes, and hed wear sunglasses during the show. Because people just steal them the same day. It doesnt hurt and freak me out like it used to, but its in the back of my mind and hard all that day. After few months in the hospital in late 1989, Allen Collins passed away due to chronic pneumonia as a result from complications of his earlier accidents in January 23, 1990. Taking his injuries into consideration, the assistant state attorney, Wayne Ellis, asked for leniency. . It seemed fate was not done with them yet. Collins, Gary Rossington, Billy Powell and Leon Wilkeson, all founding members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, formed the Rossington-Collins Band two years later. Find your friends on Facebook. The music was incredible. Year should not be greater than current year. In 1986, Mr. Collins's car ran off a road and crashed into a culvert, paralyzing him from the waist down and killing his girlfriend, Debra Jean Watts. Powell and Wilkeson are now members of a Christian group called Vision. And the whole front row would go Wow., As mean as he could be, there was a Jekyll and Hyde aspect to Ronnie Van Zant. He grabs a piece of cake and hurls it at the birthday girl, who doesnt know about the pie-in-the-face tradition. From an early age he taught his eldest son Ronnie named after his favourite movie star Ronald Reagan not only knew how to fight but how to hurt. You can send your sympathy in the guestbook provided and share it with the family. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. They go to the motel, get their stuff, and head back to Jacksonville, a two-hour drive. These were guys who never expected anything, but wanted everything. Judy Van Zant was there, as was Billy Powells ex-wife Stella. He knocked Billys teeth out, remembered Judy Van Zant Jenness, Van Zants widow. Advertisement. accessed ), memorial page for Debra Jean Watts Lizama (25 Oct 1954-29 Jan 1986), Find a Grave . Fist fights, premonitions and a plane that fell from the sky. He rang me and said, Weve got some trouble in this hotel. He told me theyve got hold of the managers wifes cat and they skinned it. He dove into a bottle and never came out.. Collins finally pled no contest, claiming he had no memory of the incident. After a few weeks Di Blasio disappeared, perhaps because he was resentful about not being included in the new Collins project. Debra was born April 19, 1955, to Max and Ellen House Watts in Durango, Colorado. Died instantly of a massive head injury. I was there that day and that was not a pretty day. She attended Haskell Indian College in Lawrence, KS and later Southwest Colorado Community . The bottle sails butt-first through the drywall, landing with its neck sticking out. Collins suffered a broken back. He began to sing me something he was working on. There are no friends, no relatives. Howd that happen? I ask. His name was Scott Sisson. There is a huge dent in the trunks lid. Lucky for him I caught it in midair, before it too hit the wall. USA. Those at the back were less badly injured. This was late summer in 1985. This would not be the last time the spectre of Ronnie Van Zant would pay a visit to friends and family. Hugh Keays-Byrne, Played villains in "Mad Max" movies. Collins couldnt even get his guitara very valuable 1957 Gibson Les Paulon. Gary and Allen werent ready.. The reason for Lacys rather strange behaviour was because Jo Jo wasnt on that flight. Silver bullets from Gimme Back My Bullets. Please donate or become a Patron here. In any case, the car spun out of control and ended up in a culvert. Collins, who is still undergoing treatment for injuries from the wreck, survived the 1977 plane crash that killed three members of Lynyrd Skynyrd and then went on to found Rossington-Collins. Collins served as musical director. At their first show at San Franciscos Cow Palace, they saw how daunting it could be. The survivors werent aware that the cause of the crash was due to the pilots running out of fuel, so they feared the plane would burst into flame at any moment. He died 87 days before that pivotal date. Allen Collins life went on a slope from there. How old is Debra Jean Lizama? I think it was because he lived hard every day and anyone who does that like Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix is gone by the time theyre 28 or 29. Leon Wilkesons father was alive, but was the weirdest human being I had ever met in my life, according to King. Maybe they got into a tussle doing 80 miles per hour. Collins apparently liked what he heard because the pair came back the next night and again the next weekend. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. Immediate Family: Daughter of Horace Lionel WATTS and Arlena Ann Miller. Obituary for Constance Sue Gutmann. At the end of Free Bird hed get rid of the mic and take off his sunglasses and stare at the audience, recalls Billy Powell. Hammered was the operative word. At first he annoyed me, because he was a mic stand twirler, says Kooper from his home in Boston. Moore estimated the car was traveling at 70 to 90 mph before the accident. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). He was the sort of guy that pulled himself up by his bootstraps. The tale boasts all the elements of a southern gothic soap opera. They took anything that said Lynyrd Skynyrd. Debra Watts (Debra Holloway Watts) See Photos. Word got around, and the place was packed with Skynyrd fans. Debra "Debbie" DeGraaff age 65 passed away December 6, 2022 after a painful battle with cancer. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. Skynyrd manager Rudge chartered three planes to take family members to the small Mississippi town to see the survivors and in six instances, identify their dead. Scuffling to survive, Price, De Blasio and I travel to Vidalia, Ga., to become the weekend house band at the Golden Nugget, a medium-sized nightclub. Price looks over at me, eyebrows arching. 56, of Port Richey passed away January 8, 2018. You know how they always say, Who died and made you boss? Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossingtons soft Florida drawl is made even softer by 3000 miles of phone line. Price busts out laughing. He laughs. In any case, I could not stomach working with him anymore. One day I went up to Gary and said, What happened to I want to be the best band in the world I shall not be denied? continues Reed. Or a modern day ghost story. All the money that was in my pockets was taken. Fuck you, Allen! the audience roars in unison. It wasnt only the tragic prophecy of the song thats chilling. She will be forever remembered by her two sons, Gerald and Rick (Shelagh); two daughters, Laurie and Maryann (Alex); six grandchildren, Cameron (Maureen), Brandon (Chelsea),. Obituary of Edward R. Watts. Music Newsletter He was in serious but stable condition this morning, said University Hospital spokeswoman Leslie Heinrich.Debra Watts Lizama, 31, who lived with Collins, was killed in the accident, said Mike Kee, a police spokesman. Its passed on and on.. Mr. Travis O'Neal Watts was born, as the youngest of 10 siblings, July 18, 1980, in Gainesville, Florida to the late Mr. George Earl Watts and Mrs. Jennie V. Osborne Watts. Stay up to date with in depth music reviews, exclusive interviews and widespread coverage of whats happening from your favourite music genre. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. I said something Collins didnt likecant recall whatand he retorts, Fuck you, you Jimmy Dougherty-lookin motherfucker, and hurls a half-full Heineken bottle at my head, which goes whizzing by my ear (Jimmy Dougherty was the previous lead singer for the Allen Collins Band). Murder. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Assuming this is some kind of redneck humor, I grab the mic and say, Can yall say Fuck you, Allen?. Lois Jean Lizama, age 65, passed away January 8, surrounded by family and friends after a hard-fought battle against cancer. She was 64 years old. Well, Ronnie did. His voice caught somewhere between a laugh and a cough. Cemetery & Obituaries Search; Sponsored by Ancestry. You could say he always knew his own mind. With little choice, Allen pleaded guilty to DUI charges. The only thing that seemed to comfort him were rocknroll panaceas drinking, drugs and driving around in fast cars. GREAT NEWS! Bill Beemont 04/29/1924 - 12/09/2022 Bill Beemont, 98, passed away, December 9, 2022. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. He was born May 23, 1947 in Louisville, KY, the son of Marion H. and Wilma Jean (Hamilton) Watts and had been an Ashtabula resident most of his life. It grew to epic stature when they grafted on a mad combative closing coda that builds and tumbles on itself then doubles back again, making a nine-minute sonic edifice that stretches right across the Mason-Dixon line, purloining fills from Duane Allman and travelling all the way to London to sit at the right hand of Jeff Beck, siphoning off his Becks Bolero riffs. Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/jean_watts Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3ZbmHVXqRhxAYlRjbG30RL?si=3cl_qrCjQ4OFWBs7j5JUZgAmazon Storefront: https:/. That just got me. Create an Obituary. Or when Ronnie caught Wilkeson drinking wine during Free Bird. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. The fact that Van Zant would come back from the dead doesnt much surprise anyone who knew him. Allen Collins life went on a slope from there. Ronnie used to say, youre in charge of the crew and whatever you say goes. Fortunately, there was a band down the street with an excellent drummer who also sang very well and owned a decent sound system. Detective D.B. But when we were in Glasgow and they were playing with The Who or The Stones, I forgot. Ronnie and Stevie were only on this earth a short time. Allen Collins injured his spine; back-up singer Leslie Hawkins had serious facial cuts, while Billy Powell and Artimus Pyle were released from hospitals a week after the crash. 'Deb' Dahlin passed away July 1, 2022, in Seattle at the age of 72. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. Johnny honked at the guy, and the guy gave him the finger. I know this was late February, because Collins threw a pie at me on my birthdaySkynyrd had a tradition that anyone having a birthday got a pie in the face. So thats what Price and I concentrated on. . Burns, whod been playing poorly and suffering Van Zants wrath regularly, freaked and tossed the hotels beloved resident cat out his fourth floor window, making for a grisly kitty cat splat outside the establishments front door. I used to send flowers to the graves every October 20th for about 10 years. We go into the rehearsal room; Collins is there with a beautiful sunburst Rickenbacker. They were immediately affected by the presence of The Who, remembered Bill Curbishley, Rudges management partner and current manager of The Who. With the passion and dedication coursing through his veins, it is no wonder that Allen joined Lynyrd Skynyrd, at the time, My Backyard, just two weeks after . Mutual friends told me that there might have been a chance for recovery had he taken his physical therapy seriously. Ronnies mother was afraid to fly, because as a girl she had witnessed an air crash where nine people died. Theresa [Gaines] decided she wanted Steve and Cassie there too., She wasnt the only one who had trouble keeping it together. Collins wanted to put a new Allen Collins Band together, and he wanted me as lead singer and second guitarist. Copyright The Jitney. Memorials. I had a creepy feeling things were going against us, so I thought Id write a morbid song.. That anthem-turned-albatross began life as a wistful love song about a man who was trying to extricate himself from a claustrophobic relationship. I was touring with them quite a bit in Europe and I felt this was a band that could have gone all the way. This account has been disabled. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. I saw the plane smack the ground. They were a good pair.. This is a carousel with slides. Weve updated the security on the site. I didnt want to hold the funeral until Allen and Gary got out of the hospital. Three decades later, his near miss still chills him. I dont think Im going to make it.. & Florence Watts of . Four years later, wheelchair bound Collins would be dead. Collins, Powell and Wilkeson later formed the Allen Collins Band.

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