David Crosby’s Sudden Death Surprises Fans, Music World

David Crosby, a singer-songwriter and founding member of two popular and hugely influential rock units in the '60s, the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash, died at 81.

The music icon's wife released a statement announcing her husband's passing, writing, "It is with great sadness after a long illness, that our beloved David (Croz) Crosby has passed away." She noted that at the time of his death, he was lovingly surrounded by his wife, soulmate Jan, and son Django.

David Crosby's Death

Jan said that while Crosby was no longer with us, his humanity and kind soul will continue to guide and inspire them in their lives. She added that Crosby's legacy would live on through the music that he has created to inspire other people.

Many people who followed the music star's highly active Twitter account were shocked by the announcement of his death as he was tweeting as recently as Wednesday. Crosby made headlines eight months ago after he said he would stop performing live, as per Variety.

Crosby noted that the decision was made after realizing that he was too old, resulting in him no longer having enough stamina to perform. However, he said he would still be busy recording as much as possible.

He said he was working on recording as much as he could because he believed that at 80 years old, he could die very soon. At the time, he announced that he had more music that was ready to be revealed shortly.

In 2018, Crosby made a public comeback with a theatrical document titled "David Crosby: Remember My Name," narrated and produced by Cameron Crowe. The music icon spoke about his mortality in the film, and Crowe said the singer was telling the truth.

The Music's Career and Life

Crosby began his life in 1941 in Los Angeles and was fathered by Floyd Crosby, an Academy Award-winning cinematographer. He briefly attended Santa Barbara City College but eventually dropped out to pursue a career in the music industry. According to Rolling Stone, he joined a band called the Jet Set in 1964.

While the music icon's success continued in the '70s and into the '80s, his personal life was rife with heavy drug use, which later resulted in his getting jailed in 1985. However, he recovered and continued making music and touring for three more decades.

In 1994, he also received a liver transplant and recorded another album, the commercially unsuccessful "After the Storm." In the '90s, Crosby also got more attention for a unique act of celebrity generosity when he donated sperm for Melissa Etheridge and Julie Cypher.

In an interview in 2006, Crosby looked back at his life in the '60s, saying they were right about civil rights, human rights, and peace being better than war. However, he argued that they were very naive on many other issues, including some personal issues that had consequences, said Reuters.

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David Crosby, Death