David Crosby, a singer and guitarist for The Byrds from 1964-1967, passed away at age 81 on January 19, 2023. While was initially reported by his wife Jan Dance that he passed away following a “long illness,” a former bandmate recently revealed that he had died after contracting COVID for a second time.
Crosby’s former bandmate Graham Nash revealed his cause of death during an appearance on the “Kyle Meredith With…” podcast where he said, “[Crosby] was rehearsing for a show to do in Los Angeles with a full band. After three days of rehearsals, he felt a little sick.”
Nash disclosed that Crosby had come down with COVID for the second time.
“And he’s already had COVID and he had COVID again,” Nash said. “And so he went home and decided that he would take a nap, and he never woke up. But he died in his bed and that is fantastic.”
“I mean, the fact that he made it to 81 was astonishing,” added Nash. “But [his death] was a shock. It was kind of like an earthquake, you know?”
“You get the initial shock and then you figure out that you survived. But these aftershocks kept coming up, and they’re diminishing in size as I go along.”
“He had a good life, you know,” continued Nash. “What incredible music he made. He was a fantastic storyteller. I loved him dearly.”
Nash also addressed the rift between himself and Crosby that impacted their relationship over the years. However, he added that the pair had repaired their relationship and had grown closer in recent years.
“I loved him dearly, and looking back, what separated us… it was just foolish stuff, really,” admitted Nash.
Crosby was a founding member of The Byrds and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame again in 1997 with CSN (Crosby, Stills & Nash).
