David Crosby, founding member of iconic musical groups The Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Young, and Nash, passed away this week at the age of 81.
The day before he died, he also voiced one of his final thoughts on Twitter about the afterlife, referring specifically to the Christian idea of heaven.
“I heard the place is overrated….cloudy,” he tweeted, while also sharing a screenshot of a Google search result asking if people who engage in various activities can go to heaven , “can we go to heaven with tattoos.”
The search result said, “People with tattoos will not go to heaven. People who drink alcohol will not go to heaven. People who eat too much pork will also not go to heaven. Short people will not go to heaven.”
I heard the place is overrated….cloudy https://t.co/Bpl7pM9k7s
— David Crosby (@thedavidcrosby) January 18, 2023
In Crosby’s final years of life, the life-long musical artist dabbled in contemporary cultural and political issues. He famously instigated an attempt to boycott Spotify after the platform, which had paid podcaster Joe Rogan hundreds of millions of dollars, to remove the huge media personality for “spewing garbage.”
Crosby removed his music catalog from the streaming service and was eventually joined by others. He quietly returned to the service a few months later.
At the time, he defended the untenable position of promoting cancel culture while imagining he was not trying to censor Rogan. During one interview, he said that he just wanted to remove himself while not trying to influence what Spotify did with the podcast host. He said:
“That’s why I don’t want to be on the same platform as Joe Rogan. He’s calling people the n-word all the time. He’s talking about women as if they’re a mouth and a pair of tits. He doesn’t really represent me at all, so I don’t want to be there with him. That’s all I said. I said I’m removing me. I’m not trying censor him or you.”
News of Crosby’s death quickly spread. Statements came in from his former bandmates and wife.
A statement by Crosby, Stills & Nash member Graham Nash said: “It is with profound sadness that I learned that my friend David Crosby has passed. 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.”
The statement 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.”
Stephen Stills released a statement to Fox News Digital, saying: “I read a quote in this morning’s paper attributed to composer Gustav Mahler that stopped me for a moment:
‘Death has, on placid cat’s paws, entered the room.’ I shoulda known something was up. David and I butted heads a lot over time, but they were mostly glancing blows, yet still left us numb skulls.. I was happy to be at peace with him. He was without question a giant of a musician, and his harmonic sensibilities were nothing short of genius. The glue that held us together as our vocals soared, like Icarus, towards the sun. I am deeply saddened at his passing and shall miss him beyond measure.”
And his wife of 36 years, Jan Dance, had this to say to Variety: “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.”
The statement continued: “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. 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.”
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