Allman Brothers’ Butch Trucks Dead After Shooting Himself in Front of His Wife
Butch Trucks, drummer and founding member of Southern rock pioneers the Allman Brothers Band, has died at the age of 69. His death, which occurred on January 24 at his home in West Palm Beach, Florida, has been ruled a suicide, the Miami Herald reports. According to the Herald, “Trucks shot himself in the head with a pistol as his wife of 25 years stood near him in their downtown West Palm Beach condo, the records show.”
A statement posted on the band’s Facebook page said, “The Trucks and Allman Brothers Band families request all of Butch’s friends and fans to please respect our privacy at this time of sadness for our loss. Butch will play on in our hearts forever. Donations and remembrances in Butch’s name may be made to The Big House Museum in Macon, Georgia.”
The Allman Brothers Band was formed in 1969 by brothers Duane and Gregg Allman with Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley, and drummers Trucks and Jaimoe. (Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1971.) Songs like “Ramblin’ Man” and “Whipping Post” and albums like At Fillmore East, Eat a Peach, and Brothers and Sisters released throughout the ’70s earned them a place in the classic rock pantheon. The band broke up and reunited on and off over the years. In 1999, Butch’s nephew Derek Trucks joined the lineup, which remained together until 2014. The Allman Brothers Band were awarded a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 2012 and last year, Rolling Stone named Trucks (and Jaimoe) the 71st greatest drummer of all time.
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