David Crosby of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash, has died at 81

David Crosby, the iconic musician known for The Byrds as well as co-founding Crosby, Still & Nash with Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, has died at the age of 81.

The news of David Crosby’s death was announced by his wife, Jan, in a statement to Variety. “It is with great sadness after a long illness, that our beloved David (Croz) Crosby has passed away,” reads the statement. “He was lovingly surrounded by his wife and soulmate Jan and son Django. Although he is no longer here with us, his humanity and kind soul will continue to guide and inspire us. His legacy will continue to live on through his legendary music. Peace, love, and harmony to all who knew David and those he touched. We will miss him dearly. At this time, we respectfully and kindly ask for privacy as we grieve and try to deal with our profound loss. Thank you for the love and prayers.”

Formed in 1964, The original line-up of The Byrds included Roger McGuinn (lead guitar, vocals), Gene Clark (tambourine, vocals), Chris Hillman (bass guitar, vocals), Michael Clarke (drums), and David Crosby (rhythm guitar, vocals). The group became known for chart-topping covers of Mr. Tambourine Man, Turn! Turn! Turn!, and more. After conflicts with the other group members, Crosby departed the group and formed Crosby, Stills & Nash with Stephen Stills and Graham Nash. Two years later, Neil Young joined the group, now billed as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

Déjà Vu, the first album from the new quartet, was a huge success, generating several Top 40 singles, including Woodstock, Teach Your Children, and Our House. The album has sold over 8 million copies and stands as the highest-selling album of each member’s career. The foursome would split up and reunite many times over the years, but Crosby remained proud of the work they did. “Of course I’m proud of the work that happened with The Byrds,” Crosby said in 2017. “I’m proud of the work that happened with Crosby, Stills & Nash — and with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, which was a completely different band. But after 40 years together, most bands devolve to the point where they just turn on their smoke machine and play their hits. That’s what happened to Crosby, Stills & Nash. We didn’t like each other anymore. We were not having fun. So I got out. I’ll take the blame. It’s just that I had to keep going forward.“

In addition to his music career, David Crosby also made appearances in movies such as Backdraft and Hook, as well as TV shows like Roseanne, The John Larroquette Show, Ellen, Chicago Hope, and The Simpsons.