Rock and Roll Hall of Famer David Crosby Dies at 81

US musician David Crosby (L) and wife Jan Dance arrive for the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards on January 26, 2020, in Los Angeles. (Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images)

David Crosby, the singer-songwriter and two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, has died, his family says. He was 81.

Crosby’s wife, Jan Dance, said in a statement to Variety that the musician died after “a long illness.”

“It is with great sadness after a long illness, that our beloved David (Croz) Crosby has passed away,” she told the outlet, which was the first to report on the passing.

“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,” the statement continues. “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.”

The exact cause of the folk rocker’s death has not been disclosed.

Crosby kept a very active Twitter profile with more than 230,000 followers. One of Crosby’s final Twitter posts was about whether people can go to heaven with tattoos.

“I heard the place is overrated ... cloudy,” Crosby wrote on Wednesday. The post has now become a place where fans leave comments to pay tribute to the late rock n' roll icon.

In August 2022, Crosby declared that he had become “too old” to tour again. When a fan asked him on Twitter if there are any tour dates in his mind, he replied by saying, “I’m too old to do it anymore ... sadly.”

“Was soooooooooo goooood to play with people who love it,” he added. “Haven’t played live for a long time ... Jason and that band swing so hard ... then he is just sitting there alone singing ‘Cover Me Up’ and we’re crying.”

The last time Crosby performed live was in February 2022, in Santa Barbra, California. His last album, “For Free,” a collaboration with his son, producer James Raymond, was released in 2021.

Crosby is known as the founding member of the Byrds and Crosby, and Stills & Nash, which was later renamed Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY). Both are considered among the most influential and decade-defining rock units of the 1960s.

“It is with a deep and profound sadness that I learned that my friend David Crosby has passed,” said former CSNY partner Graham Nash, reported Rolling Stone.

“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.”