Losing a spouse at the beginning of a marriage union and being left alone can be pretty disheartening.
This is the story of Judy Van Zant, the ex-wife of the late iconic singer Ronnie Van Zant.
After the death of her husband in 1977, many have continued to wonder how Judy has managed through those times.
Questions about whether she remarried or preferred to remain single have been the topic of discussion.
Who is Judy Van Zant?
Judy Van Zant was born Judith Ann Seymour on 26 March 1948. She is famous for being the second wife of the late iconic Southern rock musician Ronnie Van Zant.
Judy’s first marriage to Ronnie
Judy and her late husband Ronnie met at The Comic Book Club through one of Ronnie’s bandmates and friend, Gary Rossington, in 1969.
The couple married in November 1972 and gave birth to one daughter, Melody Renne Van Zant, born on September 19, 1976.
The couple remained married before Ronnie’s untimely death in 1977 at the age of 29. Melody was barely a year old when her father died.
After the death of her husband, Judy founded Freebird Live in 1999, a music hub which was located in Jacksonville Beach, Florida.
This place houses the memorabilia of her late husband’s band, Lynyrd Skynyrd. Judy also founded the Freebird Foundation. Judy, with her ex-husband, Jim Jenness, managed the foundation until they officially dissolved it in March 2001.
Personal life
Judy Van Zant’s first marriage was with Ronnie Van Zant from November 18, 1972, to October 20, 1977, when Ronnie died in a plane crash. The couple shared one daughter.
Judy’s second marriage was with John Louis “Jack” Grondin Jr. on October 4, 1980.
However, their marriage ended in a divorce on July 9, 1992. Jack Grondin was a drummer for the rock band 38 Special. The former couple had one child.
After her divorce, Judy tied the knot one more time with James Leo Jenness. However, the pair have since been divorced. They have no children together.
The Legal Battle between Judy Van Zant and Lynyrd Skynyrd
In 1987, there was a mild legal battle between the Lynyrd Skynyrd band and the wives of their late members, Judy Van Zant and Teresa Gaines Rapp.
Teresa Gaines Rapp is the wife of Steven Gaines, the band’s guitarist, who also died in the plane crash.
Teresa Gaines and Judy reportedly sued the Lynyrd Skynyrd band for violating the agreement made after the plane crash.
Both parties later settled the issue. Lynyrd Skynyrd agreed to give Judy and Teresa 30% of the band’s touring revenues. These revenues represented the shares of their husbands if they had been alive.
They also requested that for the band to continue using the name Lynyrd Skynyrd, it must always include at least three of the original members of the band from the pre-crash era. These members include Wilkeson, Powell, King, and Pyle.
However, the band has revoked this rule since the last original member, Gary Rossington, died on March 5, 2023.
Where is Judy Van Zant now?
Judy Van Zant resides in Florida, USA. She also has an active Facebook account where she posts herself, families, and memorial posts of Ronnie Van Zant.
On October 20, 2019, Judy was in Gillsburg, Mississippi, with her daughter, Melody, and granddaughter, Aria Todd, to celebrate the remembrance of her late husband, who died in a plane crash.
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