Neil Young has paid tribute to David Crosby.
Crosby, a founding member of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash, died yesterday (January 19) at the age of 81. His wife confirmed the news in a statement given to Variety, writing: “It is with great sadness after a long illness, that our beloved David (Croz) Crosby has passed away.
“He was lovingly surrounded by his wife and soulmate Jan and son Django. Although he is no longer here with us, his humanity and kind soul will continue to guide and inspire us. His legacy will continue to live on through his legendary music.”
She continued: “Peace, love, and harmony to all who knew David and those he touched. We will miss him dearly. At this time, we respectfully and kindly ask for privacy as we grieve and try to deal with our profound loss. Thank you for the love and prayers.”
Now, Neil Young has become the latest star to pay his respects to the late Crosby. In a blog post on his Neil Young Archives website, he wrote: “David is gone, but his music lives on. The soul of CSNY, 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 them together. ‘Almost Cut My Hair’, ‘Deja Vu’ and so many other great songs he wrote were wonderful to jam on and Stills and I had a blast as he kept us going on and on. His singing with Graham was so memorable, their duo spot a highlight of so many of our shows.
“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.”
He continued: “My heart goes out to Jan and Django, his wife and son. Lots of love to you. Thanks David for your spirit and songs, Love you man! I remember the best times! neil.”
Graham Nash has also paid tribute, saying that it was with “a deep and profound sadness” that he learned about Crosby’s death.
“I know people tend to focus on how volatile our relationship has been at times, but 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 continued.
“David was fearless in life and in music. He leaves behind a tremendous void as far as sheer personality and talent in this world. He spoke his mind, his heart, and his passion through his beautiful music and leaves an incredible legacy. These are the things that matter most. My heart is truly with his wife, Jan, his son, Django, and all of the people he has touched in this world.”
A prolific user of Twitter, one of Crosby’s final tweets saw him poking fun at the idea of heaven. Earlier this week (January 18), the veteran musician quoted a tweet that claimed “People with tattoos will not go to heaven. People who drink alcohol will not go to heaven. People who also eat too much pork will not go to heaven.”
“I heard the place is overrated,” Crosby remarked.