Singer-Songwriter David Crosby Passes Away At Age 81

Jan 21

David Crosby, one of the founding members of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash, passed away on January 18th at age 81. He was reportedly ill for quite some time, but no official cause of death has been revealed. The musician enjoyed a long career as both a member of these bands and a solo artist.

Born in Los Angeles, California, on August 14th, 1941, to Academy-Award-winning cinematographer Floyd Crosby and Aliph Van Cortlandt Whitehead, David Crosby was very much a child of Hollywood’s legacy. He began his music career in 1962 with the commercial folk scene through his brief membership in Les Baxter’s Balladeers around 1962, and he had his first solo session in 1963.

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Crosby formed The Byrds in 1964 with Roger McGuinn and Gene Clark. The three of them formed a trio initially called Jet Set. They were soon joined by drummer Michael Clarke and bassist Chris Hillman They changed their name to The Byrds on Thanksgiving of 1964 and had their first hit with a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man.” The group enjoyed a long and fruitful career that helped Crosby refine his songwriting skills and develop his trademark style. However, as tensions within the band began to rise, Crosby was fired in October 1967.

Crosby, Stills, and Nash formed in 1968 and first appeared at Woodstock in August 1969. Their first eponymous album was a huge hit. Neil Young joined the group later in 1969, with his first appearance on the album Déjà Vu (1970). The group was initially together from 1968-1970 but reunited in 1973. They had a highly successful 1974 stadium tour, though it was affected by bickering within the band. The quartet reconvened for 1985’s Live Aid but continued as CS&N throughout the 70s, with both formations continuing to work together until 2015.

Crosby also enjoyed a fruitful solo career, with his first album, If I Could Only Remember My Name, released in 1971. Crosby’s final studio album was For Free in 2021, with his last live album being Live at the Capitol Theater. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, as a member of The Byrds in 1991 and Crosby, Stills, and Nash in 1997. He is survived by his wife, Jan Dance, and his son James Raymond (who he had with Celia Crawford Ferguson), daughter Erika with Jackie Guthrie, daughter Donovan Crosby with former girlfriend Debbie Donovan, and his son Django Crosby with his wife, Jan Dance.

In one of his last tweets, Crosby posted a comedic comment on heaven: