American rocker David Crosby, pioneer of a hybrid of rock and folk who co-founded the Byrds before joining supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, has died at the age of 81, specialist media announced on Thursday.
• Also read: David Crosby, The Bard of Woodstock
The newspaper Variety was the first to report on the death of the musician who was so formative for the music of the years 1960/70 and referred to a press release by her husband Jan Dance, who spoke of a “long illness”.
Rolling Stone magazine confirmed the news based on a source close to the artist.
According to his wife’s press release, quoted by Variety, David Crosby died surrounded by his wife and son Django, although the exact date is not known.
“Although he is no longer with us, his humanity and good spirit will continue to guide and inspire us. His legacy will live on through his legendary music.
As Variety noted, the announcement of David Crosby’s death comes as a surprise given that his Twitter account was still active as of Wednesday.
David Crosby was born on August 14, 1941 in California to parents from extended New York families, with a housewife and a father in the cinema, crowned with an Oscar for best cinematography.
“Volatile Relationship”
Before his 25th birthday, in the heart of the 1960s, he was one of the founders of The Byrds, a group that mixed English rock with traditional American folk.
In 1967 and 1968, when he had been sacked from the Byrds over disagreements, he had found Stephen Stills of the Buffalo Spingfields and Graham Nash of the Hollies at the chalet of Joni Mitchell, the folk legend and sometime girlfriend.
The group is joined from time to time by Canadian Neil Young.
The following year, on August 17, 1969, at the mythical Woodstock festival, Crosby already had his mustache and long hair ready for the second Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young concert.
Graham Nash expressed his “deep sadness” on Facebook Thursday night, without hiding the “fleeting relationship” between the two men.
“But what always meant the most to David and I was the sheer joy of the music we made together, the sound we discovered and the deep friendship we shared over the years,” he said the deceased who “was not afraid of life or music”.
“I don’t know what else to say, I’m heartbroken,” tweeted another legend, Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson.