David Crosby Clarifies His Eddie Van Halen Diss: ‘I Didn’t Even Remember He Had Just Died’

David Crosby turned heads this week during an AMA session on Twitter. As fans and artists were still reeling over the death of Eddie Van Halen, one user asked Crosby his opinion on the musician. The veteran singer answered the question with a “meh,” and his unexpectedly cold response instantly prompted backlash. On Wednesday, a few days following the incident, Crosby backtracked on his statements and admitted that he had been insensitive.

Addressing the backlash, Crosby conceded that his statement was “not cool,” writing, “yes you Van Halen fans I did just toss off an answer that was not cool …the even more embarrassing truth is ..I didn’t even remember he had just died or I would have kept my mouth shut….I do make mistakes …no offense intended.”

Shortly after Crosby’s original “meh” tweet, the singer doubled-down on his statement, saying Van Halen’s music just wasn’t for him. “many of you loved Van Halen ….and the one time I met he was nice ….and he was talented,” he wrote. “meh to me means I don’t care that much ….and I don’t …doesn’t mean he wasn’t good, he was but not for me.”

Seeing as Van Halen passed away just a few weeks ago, people were not happy with Crosby’s statements. One fan replied and said the tweet was “rude, unkind and totally lacking empathy.”

Read Crosby’s full statement above.