Singer-songwriter David Crosby, of both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills and Nash fame, has died aged 81. His wife, Jan Dance, indicated he died “after a long illness” while surrounded by family.
One of the most influential rock singers of the 1960s and 70s, he played at Woodstock and had a combative relationship with his band mates along with a voracious drug habit which saw him incarcerated at one point.
Crosby was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of both revered bands which he co-founded. Dubbed “rock’s unlikeliest survivor,” he led a tumultuous life with decades of excess and later expressed remorse in recent years over alienating his former band mates and for wasting time “just getting smashed”.
Crosby fathered six children in his time, two as a sperm donor to rocker Melissa Etheridge’s partner and another who was placed for adoption at birth and did not meet Crosby until he was in his 30s – eventually becoming his musical collaborator.
Crosby appeared as himself or a character on numerous series including “The Simpsons,” “The John Larroquette Show,” “Chicago Hope,” “Ellen,” and “Roseanne” along with cameos in films like “Hook,” “Thunderheart” and “Backdraft”. His music appears in countless films and series including “Ford vs. Ferrari,” “The Limey” and “Up in the Air”.
Source: ABC
