American rocker David Crosby, pioneer of a mix of rock and folk, has died at the age of 81, specialized media announced Thursday. He was the co-founder of the Byrds before joining the supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
The newspaper Variety was the first to announce the death of the musician so influential for the music of the 1960s-70s, citing a statement from his wife Jan Dance, who spoke of a “long illness”. Rolling Stone magazine confirmed the news on the strength of a source close to the artist.
According to the press release from his wife quoted by Variety, David Crosby died surrounded by his wife and his son Django, but it is not known precisely on what date. “Although he is no longer with us, his humanity and his good soul will continue to guide us and be a source of inspiration. His legacy will continue to live on through his legendary music”, is it written.
As noted by Variety, the announcement of the death of David Crosby is rather a surprise, because his Twitter account was still active on Wednesday. David Crosby was born in California on August 14, 1941, to parents descended from large New York families, with a stay-at-home mother and a father in the cinema, crowned with an Oscar for best cinematography.
“Relation volatile”
Before his 25th birthday, in the heart of the 1960s, he was one of the founders of The Byrds, a group mixing rock from England with traditional American folk. In 1967 and 1968, dismissed from the Byrds for disagreement, he had found Stephen Stills, of the Buffalo Spingfields, and Graham Nash, of the Hollies, in the chalet of Joni Mitchell, legend of folk and for a time his girlfriend.
The group is joined from time to time by the Canadian Neil Young. The following year, on August 17, 1969, at the mythical Woodstock festival, Crosby already had his mustache and long hair for the second concert of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Graham Nash said Thursday evening on Facebook his “deep sadness” without hiding the “volatile relationship” between the two men.
“But what always meant the most to David and me was the sheer joy of the music we made together, the sound we discovered, and the deep friendship shared over all these years,” he said. for the deceased who “wasn’t afraid of life, nor of music”. “I don’t know what else to say: I’m heartbroken,” wrote another legend, Brian Wilson, co-founder of the Beach Boys, on Twitter.
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