David Crosby, co-founder of both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash has died, aged 81.
The sad news was confirmed by Crosby’s wife, who said in a statement to Variety, "It is with great sadness after a long illness, that our beloved David (Croz) Crosby has passed away. He was lovingly surrounded by his wife and soulmate Jan and son Django. Although he is no longer here with us, his humanity and kind soul will continue to guide and inspire us. His legacy will continue to live on through his legendary music. Peace, love, and harmony to all who knew David and those he touched. We will miss him dearly. At this time, we respectfully and kindly ask for privacy as we grieve and try to deal with our profound loss. Thank you for the love and prayers."
Crosby was born in Los Angeles in 1941. He joined the Byrds in 1964, alongside Gene Clark, Jim McGuinn and Chris Hillman, who scored a number-one hit in 1965 with a cover of Bon Dylan’s Tambourine Man.
The Byrds | ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ on The Ed Sullivan Show
A year after the Byrds disbanded in 1967, Crosby founded Crosby, Stills & Nash with fellow folk rock icons, Stephen Stills of Buffalo Springfield and Graham Nash from the Hollies. CS&N’s eponymous debut album, a defining record of L.A.’s Laurel Canyon scene in the late-60s, arrived in 1969 and earned them a Grammy Award for Best New Artist.
Soon after, Neil Young, who had previously playing in Buffalo Springfield with Stills, joined the lineup. CSN&Y were classic rock’s pioneer supergroup, performing their second show ever together at Woodstock in 1969. Despite the band members’ stormy relations, together they produced crystalline classics, timeless to this day.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young | ‘Teach Your Children’
Together, Crosby, Stills & Nash (and sometimes Young) released eight studio albums, including 1970’s ‘Déjà Vu’ which sold in the multi-millions. Despite CSN&Y’s multiple break ups and reunions over the years, and Crosby’s personal troubles stemming from a hedonistic lifestyle, he produced a staggering amount of music across his career. He released a number of solo albums, starting with If I Could Only Remember My Name in 1971, and also appeared on stacks of classic albums by the likes of Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Carole King, Jackson Browne, Elton John and more.
Crosby was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice, in 1991 with the Byrds and again in 1997 with CS&N, making them the first band to have all members inducted twice.
Tributes have been pouring in for the legendary rocker, with Crosby’s former bandmate Graham Nash expressing his “profound sadness” at the news.
“I know people tend to focus on how volatile our relationship has been at times, but what has always mattered to David and me more than anything was the pure joy of the music we created together,” Nash shared in a statement. “He leaves behind a tremendous void.”
Statement from Graham Nash: pic.twitter.com/FRmkwNcqCr
— Rob Tannenbaum (@tannenbaumr) January 19, 2023
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