Music Icon David Crosby of Crosby, Stills & Nash Dies at 81

Legendary rock musician David Crosby has died at the age of 81. His cause of death is unknown. Crosby was a member of  The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash, which later became Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Throughout his career, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice (Both for his work in The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash) and throughout his career was nominated for a Grammy Award ten times.

Graham Nash, of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, paid tribute to his former bandmate on Facebook, even though they hadn’t spoken in recent years.

(Credit: Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

“It is with a deep and profound sadness that I learned that my friend David Crosby has passed. 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, the sound we discovered with one another, and the deep friendship we shared over all these many long years, ” Nash wrote.

“David was fearless in life and in music. He leaves behind a tremendous void as far as sheer personality and talent in this world. He spoke his mind, his heart, and his passion through his beautiful music and leaves an incredible legacy,” Nash continued. “These are the things that matter most. My heart is truly with his wife, Jan, his son, Django, and all of the people he has touched in this world.”

Per Variety, Crosby had took a step back from performing  live eight months go, making headlines after saying, “I’m too old to do it anymore. I don’t have the stamina; I don’t have the strength.” But he was still recording. “I’ve been making records at a startling rate. … Now I’m 80 years old so I’m gonna die fairly soon. That’s how that works. And so I’m trying really hard to crank out as much music as I possibly can, as long as it’s really good… I have another one already in the can waiting.”

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Since his initial statement about taking a step back, Crosby had backtracked his remarks, suggesting he planned to play live again. Crosby is survived by his wife Jan Dance, their son Django, son James Raymond, and two daughters, Erika and Donovan, from previous relationships. He was also the biological father of the late Beckett Cypher and Bailey Jean Cypher, the children of former partners Melissa Etheridge and Julie Cypher.