Leonard Skinner, the namesake of rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, dies.

Lynyrd Skynyrd's Inspiration is a Free Bird at Last - Stop The Presses!

Leonard Skinner, the namesake of American deep southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, has died at the age of 77 on September 20, 2010.

Leonard Skinner was a gym teacher at his alma mater, Robert E. Lee High School, in Jacksonville, Florida for many years. During the 1960s, many of the original band members, including their original lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, attended the high school, and because they wore long hair, they got into trouble with Skinner, who enforced the rule that boys should not have long hair. Eventually, Skinner sent them to the principal's office, and it was after that point that the band decided to pay a "tongue-in-cheek" homage to him by naming themselves after him.

I'm pretty sure that this was all before your time, but if you're familiar with the song "Sweet Home Alabama," you'll know who they are. In 1977, several members of the band perished in an airplane crash, and would not regroup until ten years later, in 1987, with new lead singer Johnny Van Zant, the younger brother of Ronnie Van Zant, who was among those who perished in the crash. As of 2010, they are still together today. Leonard Skinner had stated that he was really sad about the crash, and that he was just following the rules at his school.