David Crosby, legendary singer and songwriter, dead at 81 - CNN

CNN  — 

David Crosby, a people stone pioneer and 1 of the founding members of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, has died, his household announced Thursday.

He was 81.

“It is with large sadness aft a agelong illness, that our beloved David (Croz) Crosby has passed away. He was lovingly surrounded by his woman and soulmate Jan and lad Django,” the Crosby household said successful a statement, obtained by CNN done a household spokesperson. “Although helium is nary longer present with us, his humanity and benignant psyche volition proceed to usher and animate us. His bequest volition proceed to unrecorded connected done his legendary music”

Representatives for Crosby had nary remark erstwhile reached by CNN.

Crosby was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Byrds successful 1991 and again with Crosby, Stills & Nash successful 1997, alongside Stephen Stills and Graham Nash.

“Peace, love, and harmony to each who knew David and those helium touched,” the connection added. “We volition miss him dearly.”

Crosby, a autochthonal Californian and lad of Academy Award-winning cinematographer Floyd Crosby, initially moved to Los Angeles from Santa Barbara successful 1960 with the volition of becoming an actor.

Music called his name, however, and successful 1963, helium formed the stone radical The Byrds with Roger McGuinn and Gene Clark.

The set was nominated for a best caller creator Grammy successful 1965. 

Among different hits, The Byrds released the 1965 opus “Turn! Turn! Turn!” which was made fashionable again successful the mid-’90s acknowledgment to the 1994 diagnostic movie “Forrest Gump.”

Crosby went connected to triumph the champion caller creator Grammy trophy arsenic portion of Crosby, Stills & Nash successful 1970.

Crosby, Stills & Nash played Woodstock 1969. It was lone their 2nd unrecorded show together, which helped catapult them to mainstream success.

That band’s archetypal album, 1969’s “Crosby, Stills & Nash,” was an contiguous success, featuring hits “Marrakesh Express” and “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes.”

In 1970, with the summation of Neil Young, the radical became known arsenic Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and released “Déjà Vu,” which contained the deed opus “Woodstock.”

In summation to his solo albums, Crosby collaborated with different euphony greats passim his career, including Jerry Garcia, Bill Kreutzmann and Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead, Carole King and Joni Mitchell.

Crosby is credited with having discovered Mitchell, whom helium besides dated.

The rocker struggled with addiction successful the past, and spent 5 months successful jailhouse connected narcotics and weapons charges. He was released successful 1986 and credited his clip successful situation with helping him get sober.

“They locked maine successful a container and I got disconnected drugs, and judge me, it changes you totally,” helium told the Guardian successful 2021. “You spell from not wanting to unrecorded to being precise arrogant of surviving due to the fact that you’re nary longer sidesplitting yourself and you’re taking attraction of your household again, being a decent feline and making music.”

Crosby has, particularly successful caller years, been unfastened astir his wellness problems.

In 1994, helium received a liver transplant. He’s besides undergone multiple bosom procedures and been unfastened astir managing his diabetes.

Crosby told NME successful 2021 that continuing to marque euphony was keeping him “alive.” 

“There are 2 (centers) to my life; my household and the music,” he added. “That I tin inactive astatine this precocious property get a accidental to marque much euphony is conscionable a freaking miracle.”

In 1987, helium joined Jan Dance. The brace shared 1 son, Django.

Upon learning of Crosby’s death, instrumentalist Melissa Etheridge, who had 2 children with erstwhile spouse Julie Cypher utilizing Crosby arsenic a sperm donor, wrote connected Instagram that she is “grieving the nonaccomplishment of my friend.”

“He gave maine the acquisition of family,” she wrote.

Crosby’s erstwhile bandmate Nash referenced their at-times “volatile” narration successful a tribute connected Facebook, penning connected Thursday, “what has ever mattered to David and maine much than thing was the axenic joyousness of the euphony we created together.”

The connection added: “David was fearless successful beingness and successful music. He leaves down a tremendous void arsenic acold arsenic sheer property and endowment successful this world. He spoke his mind, his heart, and his passionateness done his beauteous euphony and leaves an unthinkable legacy. These are the things that substance most.”

Stills, the different subordinate of Crosby, Stills & Nash, shared successful a connection connected Facebook that “it is lone the representation of specified a unsocial and afloat beingness truthful good lived that indispensable prolong america done this play of profound grief.”

The connection added that “David lived a beingness of heavy and enduring gratitude and was an extraordinary, richly sentient being,” continuing to accidental that “his euphony volition unrecorded connected done america all.”

Carole King, who was joined connected signifier successful 1994 by Crosby and Nash to execute “You’ve Got a Friend,” reacted to the quality connected Facebook saying “my aged person David is gone, but helium near america with his words, his euphony and his beauteous voice.”

Beach Boys person Brian Wilson besides shared his sentiments connected social media saying helium was “heartbroken.”

“David was an unbelievable endowment - specified a large vocalist and songwriter. And a fantastic person,” helium wrote.