Neil Young, Melissa Etheridge, David Gilmour, Jason Isbell & Many Others Honor David Crosby
Read many of the messages shared from around the world of music in response to Croz’s passing.
By Andy Kahn Jan 20, 2023 • 9:34 am PST
David Crosby, a twice-inducted member of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and an integral figure in the 1960s folk-rock explosion, died at age 81 after a long illness. As expected, many took to social media to share condolence, tributes and other words honoring Croz.
He had an angel’s voice and at times devilish attitude. An irascible figure whose fiery personality left behind burnt bridges and undeniably timeless music. The word “icon” gets tossed around often these days to exalt someone or something to legendary status, ignoring the visual aspect that defines the descriptor. David Crosby was the epitome of an icon of the 1960s counterculture. Croz was cool (look at his friends on his first solo album), stylish (his impeccable threads with The Byrds especially), and engaged with the world in which he thrived (his Twitter account was endlessly entertaining).
Crosby’s life was not without turmoil and strife, but he managed to absorb the blows and come out on the other side, bolstered by a late-career resurgence that saw him as prolific as ever. David Crosby was many things throughout his life — a singer, a sailor, a songwriter, a surrogate, a showman and more — and the music he made reflects that profound legacy.
In response to Croz’s death, many fellow musicians and others from the music world shared tributes to the iconic singer-songwriter. Among those who shared messages in honor of Crosby was Melissa Etheridge. Crosby was the biological father through artificial insemination of Etheridge’s two children, Bailey Jean and Beckett, who were conceived by Etheridge’s former partner Julie Cyper.
Pink Floyd guitarist and Crosby collaborator David Gilmour, The Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson and many of Crosby’s contemporaries noted his passing. Jason Isbell, Amanda Shires, Bruce Hornsby, Warren Haynes, John Mayer, Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz, Pavement, James Taylor, The Avett Brothers, Questlove and dozens more also paid their condolences to Croz.
Others who reacted to Crosby’s passing included his former bandmates, Graham Nash and Stephen Stills, who were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame along with Crosby for their work as Crosby, Stills & Nash (Crosby also went into the Rock Hall with The Byrds). Crosby’s former CSNY bandmate Neil Young, whose relationship with Crosby was contentious in recent years, shared a message on his website writing that he remembers “the best of times!”
Scroll on to read the many tributes to David Crosby from across the music world:
