David Crosby was revealed to have died from COVID-19 by his former bandmate Graham Nash in a new podcast interview, three months after his passing. The legendary musician died at 81 on January 18. He was with his wife Jan Dance and son Django when he passed away. Graham revealed his former Crosby Stills Nash bandmate’s cause of death on the Kyle Meredith With podcast on Friday, April 7.
When speaking about his former bandmate, Graham revealed that David had been preparing for a concert when he started to feel sick from COVID and passed away in his sleep. “He was rehearsing for a show to do in Los Angeles with a full band,” he said. “After three days of rehearsals, he felt a little sick. And he’d already had COVID and he had COVID again. 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.”
In the statement announcing his passing, David’s wife noted that he had been sick for some time when he died, but she did not specify at the time. “It is with great sadness after a long illness, that our beloved David (Croz) Crosby has passed away,” she said in a statement to Variety.
Throughout his life, David had many health issues and had struggled with drug abuse, which may have led to some of his health issues. He had been diagnosed with hepatitis C as well as type 2 diabetes, per The New York Times. He had also undergone liver transplant surgery in 1994 and canceled a 2014 tour to undergo cardiac catheterization and angiogram.
Before his death, David performed his final live performance in 2019. He joined fellow singer-songwriter Michelle Willis for a performance at her live album recording in Toronto, Canada. He joined her for the songs “Janet”, “Trigger”, “Glory” and a cover of Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock,” per Setlist.fm. His last recording released was a concert album Live At The Capitol Theatre, released in November 2022.
David was one of the most beloved musicians in the classic rock world, with his music from The Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash (later Crosby, Stills, Nash, And Young) being widely regarded as essential listening. Tons of musicians paid tribute to the singer after his passing, including his former CSNY bandmates Graham Nash and Neil Young. Graham, 80, acknowledged how the two had a tumultuous relationship but focused on the music they got to make together. “What has always mattered to David and me more than anything was the pure joy of the music we created together, the sound we discovered with one another, and the deep friendship we shared over all these many long years,” he wrote.
Neil, 77, called his former bandmate the “the soul of CSNY” and said that his music would be missed. “David’s voice and energy were at the heart of our band. His great songs stood for what we believed in, and it was always fun and exciting when we got to play together,” he wrote. “We had so many great times, especially in the early years. Crosby was a very supportive friend in my early life, as we bit off big pieces of our experience together. David was the catalyst of many things.”