Lynyrd Skynyrd Graves Moved

By Stephen M. Silverman

08/25/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

The remains of Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines, two founding members of the '70s Southern rock group Lynyrd Skynyrd, will be relocated to unmarked graves in the aftermath of the recent vandalizing of their Florida burial sites. "The mausoleums at Jacksonville Memorial Gardens in Orange Park will remain there as memorials to Van Zant and Gaines," the Clay County, Fla., Sheriff's office told the Associated Press. "Fans will be permitted to continue visiting this site to pay their respects." On June 29, Van Zant's tomb and Gaines's mausoleum were broken into. While Van Zant's casket was not opened, the urn containing Gaines's ashes was, and his ashes were spilled. (The two musicians were killed in a 1977 plane crash.) A $22,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the culprits has been posted, says the sheriff.