David Crosby's Death 'Shocking But NOT Surprising' for Stephen Stills — Here's Why

David Crosby's Death 'Shocking But NOT Suprising' for Stephen Stills — Here's Why
Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for SiriusXM

David Crosby's death "shocked but not surprised" Stephen Stills.

Even Crosby himself was not prepared for his death as he was still working on new music and gearing up for a tour before his passing. The legendary singer died on Jan. 18 following a long illness, according to reports.

He was 81.

Nearly a month after the music industry lost him, Crosby's former bandmate Stephen Stills sat for a new interview with Rolling Stones wherein he explained why his death "shocked but not surprised" him.

Stills called Crosby "a big force" in his life and a "towering musician" who was excited about his new band.

He went on to say, "[My son] Christopher was in his band, and they were going to get back on the road a little. He just went to take a nap and didn't come back. When you think about it, it beats the hell out of being in a hospital with people beating on your chest or something."

Stills expressed his regret as his last meeting with Crosby was during the funeral of Crosby, Stills & Nash keyboardist Mike Finnigan in 2021.


The musician's statement was similar to what Crosby's other former bandmate, Graham Nash, experienced. Nash told AARP that they had been expecting his death for the past 20 years.

Neil Young To Perform With David Crosby's Son, Stephen Stills

Following Crosby's death, the Light Up the Blues charity show confirmed that Young, Crosby's son James Raymond, and Stills would perform together to raise funds for Autism Speaks.

The concert will happen on April 22 at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, and it will be Young's first public performance since 2019.

"We'll be there to 'Light Up the Blues' with Stephen, [his wife] Kristen and the family," he told Rolling Stone. "[ We are] doing [our] first show in four years with old friends for our autistic people around the world."

Stills and his family have been arranging the Light Up the Blues since 2013. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, affected the April 2020 show. At that time, they had a chance to stream the concert instead, but Stills opted to wait because he does not like the idea of a virtual show.

The upcoming show will also see guests like Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, Chris Stills, and Oliver Stills.

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