Veteran US folk-rock star David Crosby has died aged 81, his representative has confirmed.
He helped set up two major bands in the 1960s: The Byrds, and Crosby, Stills, and Nash.
He was renowned for his guitar-playing and vocal harmonies.
His career saw him achieve the rare feat of being inducted to the revered Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice.
Former bandmates saluted Crosby’s creative talents while acknowledging the conflicts they had endured.
Crosby’s wife told showbiz site Variety that he died “after a long illness” while surrounded by family.
“His legacy will continue to live on through his legendary music,” her statement added.
Crosby was born in California on 14 August 1941, the son of Oscar-winning Hollywood cinematographer Floyd Crosby.
Popular Music Legend Is Dead
He joined The Byrds in 1964 – a folk-rock group who scored their first hit with a cover of Bob Dylan’s Tambourine Man, and whose other singles like Turn! Turn! Turn! and Eight Miles High helped change the face of American pop and rock.
His tempestuous tenure – a period during which he also briefly dated singer Joni Mitchell – culminated in his being fired from the group three years later.
Crosby then formed a supergroup with Buffalo Springfield’s Stephen Stills and The Hollies’ Graham Nash, who were later joined by another Buffalo Springfield star, Neil Young.
Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young made one of their first appearances at the Woodstock in 1969, and later had a hit with Mitchell’s song about the legendary festival.
This band, too, was beset by in-fighting and broke up after a few years – although they have periodically reformed for concerts since.
Hits written by Crosby during his time in the band included the hippy anthems Almost Cut My Hair and Deja Vu, and he responded to the 1968 assassination of Robert Kennedy with the song Long Time Gone.
He became known for his countercultural politics and trademark mustache as well as his musicianship. A six-decade career culminated in his final album, For Free, released in 2021.
The record saw him team up with one of his children, James Raymond, who had been put up for adoption soon after birth and only became acquainted with his father three decades later.
Off-stage, Crosby had multiple run-ins with US law enforcement, including an arrest in 1982 on drug and weapons charges.
His substance abuse had reportedly intensified after the death of a girlfriend in a car crash when he was a young man.
There followed periods of ill health, and a liver transplant in 1994. Crosby’s reputation for a hedonistic lifestyle saw him named two decades later as “rock’s unlikeliest survivor” by Rolling Stone magazine.
BY IYABO AINA
Publisher News Rain Nigeria
