Former Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Ed King, who helped co-write one of the band’s biggest hits: “Sweet Home Alabama,” passed away on August 22, according to a Facebook post made on his personal page. King died in his home in Nashville, Tennessee, .  after a battle with lung cancer, which he was reportedly hospitalized for recently.

The musician joined the original Lynrd Skynyrd line-up from 1972 until 1975, two year before the band’s founding members. Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines, along with backup singer Cassie Gaines died in a plane crash which broke up the band, and ended their 70’s era. Surviving band members reformed the group in 1987, which King was a part of until 1996.

In addition to his work with the southern rock band, King also served as the founding lead guitarist for the psychedelic rock band Strawberry Alarm Clock, whose hit single “Incense and Peppermints,” topped the Billboard Hot 100 back in 1967. Upon its release, the song became one of the many anthems for the 1960’s Summer of Love Era, being featured in the 1968 counter-culture film Psych-Out and the 1970’s film Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.

During his early work with Lynrd Skynyrd, King was credited with giving the band “its three-guitar sound,” according to Rolling Stone. He met the band in their hometown of Jacksonville, Florida, in 1968, while he was opening for them at a performance at the Comic Book Club bar.

While he offered to join the band that year, he didn’t become a member of the group until four years later, when he replaced their former bassist Leon Wilkeson. King would go on to perform on the band’s first three albums  1973’s (Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd), 1974’s Second Helping and 1975’s Nuthin’ Fancy.

While being responsible for co-writing one of the band’s biggest hit right next to “Freebird,” King, still had a few scuffles with the band’s original line-up, most notably with the band’s hot-headed frontman Van Zant. According to Rolling Stone, a scuffle with the lead vocalist in 1975, caused his departure.

“I’m the hippie from Southern California. I’m not digging the violence part,” King stated in the If I Leave Here Tomorrow documentary. “Ronnie and my guitar roadie who changed my strings were thrown in jail in Ann Arbor. They didn’t arrive … until 10 minutes before we went on. I had to play on old strings and I broke two strings during ‘Free Bird.’ After, Ronnie was riding me, and a lightbulb went off and I said, ‘That’s it.’ I went back to my room, packed up my stuff and left.”

While King has not been with the band since 1996, the band continues to tour to this day, with a changing line-up. Only one of the band members from the original line-up still performs with the group, however, guitarist Gary Rossington, who had his own health issues back in 2015, when he dealt with a heart attack.

“I’ve just found out about Ed’s passing and I’m shocked and saddened,” Rossington said in a statement . “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.”