David Crosby died after contracting COVID-19 for a second time, his friend and former bandmate Graham Nash has revealed.
Crosby passed away in January at age 81 following a “long illness,” but no further details were given at the time.
On Friday, however, Nash disclosed details regarding Crosby’s demise while speaking on the “Kyle Meredith With…” podcast.
“He was rehearsing for a show to do in Los Angeles with a full band,” Nash stated. “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.”
“I mean, the fact that he made it to 81 was astonishing,” the rocker continued. “But [his death] was a shock. It was kind of like an earthquake, you know? You get the initial shock and then you figure out that you survived. But these aftershocks kept coming up, and they’re diminishing in size as I go along.”
Crosby had spent decades struggling with health issues after being diagnosed with hepatitis C in the early 1990s.
He underwent a liver transplant in 1994, that was paid for by Phil Collins.
In a 2002 interview with The Post, Crosby said he was feeling “very healthy” and talked about receiving the life-saving liver donation.
“I have seven extra years on my life after I was supposed to be dead,” the thankful musician said. “It’s a slow-moving disease, and it’ll take another 20 years for it to kill this liver. I’ll take the 20 years. Hep C is one of the worst problems the world has to face.”
Nash’s disclosure of the cause of Crosby’s death comes just months after his heartfelt tribute to his long-time on-off friend.
Nash and Crosby were estranged for many years, with Crosby saying in a 2021 interview with The Guardian: “Graham just changed from the guy I thought was my best friend to being a guy that is definitely my enemy, so I don’t see any future there at all.”
However, Nash posted a touching tribute to Instagram following 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,” Nash wrote.
“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.”
Nash revealed to AARP magazine in February that the two of them were in the middle of making amends just before Crosby’s death.
“The fact is that we were getting a little closer at the end. He had sent me a voicemail saying that he wanted to talk to apologize, and could we set up a time to talk,” he told the magazine. “I emailed him back and said, ‘Okay, call me at 11 o’clock tomorrow your time, which is 2 o’clock on the East Coast.’ He never called, and then he was gone.
Crosby last performed in February 2022 — the first time in three years — during a surprise set in Santa Barbara, California.
He is survived by his wife Jan Dance and his four adult children.