Variety magazine was the first to announce the death of the musician who was so influential for rock and folk in the 1960s and 1970s, citing a statement by his wife Jan Dance, who spoke of a long illness.
Though he is no longer with us, his humanity and good spirit will continue to guide and inspire us. Her legacy will live on through her legendary music, she said.
As Variety noted, the announcement of David Crosby’s death comes as a surprise given that his Twitter account was still active as of Wednesday.
The musician was born on August 14, 1941 in California to prominent New York families. Her father, Floyd Crosby, was a Hollywood cinematographer who won an Oscar for FW Murnau’s 1931 silent film Taboo.
Association with Stills and Nash
In 1967 and 1968, when he had been sacked from the Byrds over disagreements, he had found Stephen Stills of the Buffalo Spingfields and Graham Nash of the Hollies at the chalet of Joni Mitchell, the folk legend and sometime girlfriend.
The group is joined from time to time by Canadian Neil Young.
The following year, on August 17, 1969, at the mythical Woodstock festival, Crosby already had his mustache and long hair ready for the second Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young concert.
Graham Nash expressed his deep sorrow on Facebook on Thursday evening, without hiding the explosive relationship between the two men.
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But what always meant the most to David and I was the sheer joy of the music we made together, the sound we discovered and the deep friendship we shared over the years, he wrote.
I don’t know what else to say: I’m heartbroken, the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson tweeted.
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A musical renaissance
In January 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, David Crosby had expressed his desire to continue writing, singing, performing and engaging with his audiences through social media.
Normally one dies out with age. One writes less, he remarked after almost 60 years of work, looking mischievously behind his big white mustache.
On the contrary, he was pleased to have extended [sa] Life thanks to his love of simple music making.
In fact, he has produced five albums since 2014, most notably in collaboration with his son James Raymond. A revival hailed by critics for his clear, tobacco-preserved voice.