David Crosby and Neil Young’s feud played out in the press over the years. Crosby called Young’s eventual wife, Daryl Hannah, “a purely poisonous predator” to the Idaho Statesman in 2014, leading to Young to proclaim that Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young “will never tour again.” As recently as September 2021, Crosby told The Guardian that Young was “the most self-centered, self-obsessed, selfish person I know.”
But according to Graham Nash, Crosby wanted to mend fences before he died in late January at 81.
“The fact is that we were getting a little closer at the end,” Nash told AARP in an interview published yesterday, February 8. “He had sent me a voicemail saying that he wanted to talk to apologize, and could we set up a time to talk. I emailed him back and said, ‘Okay, call me at eleven o’clock tomorrow your time, which is two o’clock on the East Coast.’ He never called, and then he was gone.”
When interviewer Rob Tannenbaum wondered if perhaps Crosby knew he was nearing the end, Nash responded, “I’ve thought about that myself. He was a very intelligent man. I wouldn’t put it past him to know that he was actually at the very end. The truth is, Rob, we’ve been expecting David to pass for 20 years.”
Nash cited his liver transplant and seven stents as reasons Crosby’s “body was really failing,” but, he added, “I can only try to remember the good times because we had many of them.”
Nash’s comments to AARP are on par with the official statements he and Stephen Stills issued upon news of Crosby’s death:
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CnpeDVNgGZK/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Stephen Stills remembers how David Crosby‘s “harmonic sensibilities were nothing short of genius.” “[He was] the glue that held us together as our vocals soared, like Icarus, towards the sun.” https://t.co/FD5dmYA6CX
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) January 20, 2023
Even Young offered a heartfelt tribute on his official website:
“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 together. ‘Almost Cut My Hair’ and ‘Deja Vu,’ and so many other great songs he wrote were wonderful to jam on and [Stephen] Stills and I had a blast as he kept going on and on. His singing with Graham [Nash] was 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.
“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!”
Crosby was a founding member of the Byrds in the early 1960s before forming Crosby, Stills & Nash (also known as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young) later in the decade. Crosby is a two-time Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee, as The Byrds were members of the 1991 class and Crosby, Stills & Nash received the honor in 1997.
Following Crosby’s passing, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s Déjà Vu and Greatest Hits albums re-entered the Billboard 200 chart.