With The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash, Crosby was instrumental in bringing folk-rock to the mainstream during the free-spirited 1970s Laurel Canyon movement.
There is no known cause of death for the 81-year-old.
Between 2014 and 2021, Crosby released five solo albums and frequently toured with two sets of collaborators, the Lighthouse Band (which featured Snarky Puppy maestro Michael League) and the Sky Trails Band, which featured his son James Raymond on keyboards.
Crosby’s musical career began when he was a nomadic folk performer singing and demonstrating his musical talents on the road. Then, he began performing at coffeehouses in Santa Barbara, California, but he soon began to travel throughout the United States, including stops in southern Florida, Chicago, and Boulder, Colorado.
His musical style was that of a harmony vocalist who collaborated with others to produce his distinctive sound. In his 1988 autobiography, Long Time Gone, he highlighted that collaboration was essentially his vision of a unique selling feature – “the notion of cooperative effort to create something greater than any one person could ever achieve was ingrained in my mind.”
Born on August 14, 1941, the two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honoree was a founding member of both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash.
Crosby, whose full name is David Van Cortlandt Crosby, joined the Byrds in 1964 and rose to fame with an April 1965 cover of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man.” He appeared on the Byrds’ first five albums and produced their 1973 reunion record with the original band. 1968 saw the formation of Crosby, Stills, and Nash alongside Stephen Stills and Graham Nash.
He wrote or co-wrote “Lady Friend,” “Everybody’s Been Burned,” “Why,” and “Eight Miles High” with the Byrds, as well as “Guinnevere,” “Wooden Ships,” “Shadow Captain,” and “In My Dreams” with Crosby, Stills, and Nash. He composed “Almost Cut My Hair” and “Déjà Vu” for the 1970 album of the same name by CSNY. He is well-known for employing unconventional guitar tunings and jazz influences.
He released six solo albums, five of which were commercially successful. With his son James Raymond and guitarist Jeff Pevar, he also established a jazz-influenced trio called CPR. With the Byrds and CSNY, Crosby has sold more than 35 million albums.
After evaluating David Crosby’s income and profits, he was assessed to have a net worth of $10 million, according to reports.
Family of David Crosby: Girlfriends, Wife, and Children
Crosby and Celia Crawford Ferguson had a son called James Raymond in 1962. He was adopted and later reconnected with Crosby as an adult. Since 1997, Raymond and Crosby have continued to perform live and in the studio as members of CPR and touring ensembles Crosby & Nash and Crosby, Stills & Nash.
Crosby had three further children: Erika Crosby with Jackie Guthrie, Donovan Crosby with his ex-girlfriend Debbie Donovan, and Django Crosby with his wife Jan Dance.
In the month of May 1987, Crosby wed Jan Dance. At the time, he was 45 years old and she was 35 years old. Los Angeles’ Hollywood Church of Religious Science hosted the wedding.
Crosby was also the sperm donor for the two children of Melissa Etheridge and Julie Cypher.