In honor of a music legend, we remember folk rock musician David Crosby, who died on this day in 2023.
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The singer, songwriter, and guitarist was born in Los Angeles, California, on August 14, 1941. Although he briefly studied drama at Santa Barbara City College, he dropped out to pursue his music career.
Crosby was part of the original five-piece lineup for The Byrds. He contributed to the group’s songs “So You Want to Be a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” and “Turn! Turn! Turn!”
He appeared on the group’s first five albums.
David Crosby left The Byrds in 1967 due to tension within the band. He formed Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) with Stephen Stills and Graham Nash. The group, which occasionally included legendary musician Neil Young, won Best New Artist in 1969. The core CSN bandmates remained active from 1976 to 2016.
Crosby and Nash also teamed up for the duo, Crosby & Nash, and released three gold albums in the ‘70s.
For his solo career, David Crosby released eight solo albums. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice – once alongside his The Byrds bandmates and the second time with CSN.
David Crosby Struggled With Various Health Issues Throughout the Years
Throughout his life, Crosby battled numerous health woes, including Hepatitis C and type 2 diabetes. His 1994 liver transplant was paid for by Phil Collins. He underwent a cardiac catheterization and angiogram in 2014.
He passed away on January 18, 2023. Although his family stated that he died from a “long-term illness,” his friends and colleagues said the music icon’s death was “sudden.”
Sources told RadarOnline that Crosby had planned his own funeral in hopes that his former bandmates would attend.
In a special tribute to Crosby, Nash wrote, “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.”
Stills also shared in a statement to Rolling Stone. “He was without question a giant of a musician, and his harmonic sensibilities were nothing short of genius. The glue that held us together as our vocals soared, like Icarus, towards the sun. I am deeply saddened at his passing and shall miss him beyond measure.”