David Crosby: Singer and guitarist dies aged 81
American singer and guitarist David Crosby has died at the age of 81.
One of the most influential rock singers of the 1960s and 1970s, Crosby co-founded two influential bands – The Byrds and Crosby, Stills and Nash.
He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of both groups.
In a statement given to Variety, Crosby’s wife Jan said: “It is with great sadness after a long illness, that our beloved David (Croz) Crosby has passed away. 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. 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.”
Born in Los Angeles in 1941, Crosby was the son of Oscar-award-winning cinematographer father, Floyd Crosby.
He dropped out of college to pursue a record deal, originally as a duo alongside the soul and folk singer Terry Callier, who would go on to have his own successful career in music.
While spending time with Callier in New York, Crosby met his future The Byrds bandmates, Roger McGinn, Gene Clark, Michael Clarke and Chris Hillman.
Melissa Etheridge & David Crosby
The band saw huge success with a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man”, which reached top spot in both the UK and US singles charts in 1965.
He also co-wrote the hit “Eight Miles High”.
After splitting from the Byrds in 1967, Crosby went on to join the folk-rock supergroup Crosby, Stills and Nash with Stephen Stills and Graham Nash.
The group saw success with the 1969 album Crosby Stills and Nash and singles including Guinnevere.
They were later joined by Neil Young, becoming Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and scored a US number one album with Deja Vu.
David Crosby with Graham Nash and Jan Dance
Outside of music, Crosby had four children.
The musician, an advocate for cannabis throughout his career, also famously developed a craft cannabis brand named the Mighty Croz.
Crosby was jailed over drugs and weapons offences in 1985, after being found with a gun in a Texas nightclub.
In later life, Crosby suffered from type 2 diabetes and underwent a liver transplant in 1994.
Donald Trump has said he is considering “taking away” the US citizenship of actress and comedian Rosie O’Donnell, despite a Supreme Court ruling that expressly prohibits a government from doing so.
In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, the US president said: “Because of the fact that Rosie O’Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship.”
He also labelled O’Donnell, who has moved to Ireland, as a “threat to humanity” and said she should “remain in the wonderful country of Ireland, if they want her”.
O’Donnell responded on Instagram by posting a photograph of Mr Trump with Jeffrey Epstein.
“You are everything that is wrong with America and I’m everything you hate about what’s still right with it,” she wrote in the caption.
“I’m not yours to silence. I never was.”
Rosie O’Donnell moved to Ireland after Donald Trump secured a second term. Pic: AP
O’Donnell moved to Ireland with her 12-year-old son in January after Mr Trump had secured a second term.
She has said she’s in the process of obtaining Irish citizenship based on family lineage and that she would only return to the US “when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America”.
O’Donnell and the US president have criticised each other publicly for years, in an often-bitter back-and-forth that predates Mr Trump’s move into politics.
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This is just the latest threat by the president to revoke the citizenship of someone he has disagreed with, most recently his former ally Elon Musk.
But the two situations are different as while Musk was born in South Africa, O’Donnell was born in the US and has a constitutional right to American citizenship.
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Amanda Frost, a law professor at the University of Virginia School of Law, said the Supreme Court ruled in a 1967 case that the fourteenth amendment of the constitution prevents the government from taking away citizenship.
“The president has no authority to take away the citizenship of a native-born US citizen,” he added.
“In short, we are nation founded on the principle that the people choose the government; the government cannot choose the people.”
A farmer who fell from a greenhouse roof during an anti-immigrant raid at a licensed cannabis facility in California this week has died of his injuries.
Jaime Alanis, 57, is the first person to die as a result of Donald Trump’s Immigration Compliance and Enforcement (ICE) raids.
His niece, Yesenia Duran, posted on the fundraising site GoFundMe to say her uncle was his family’s only provider and he had been sending his earnings back to his wife and daughter in Mexico.
The United Food Workers said Mr Alanis had worked on the farm for 10 years.
“These violent and cruel federal actions terrorise American communities, disrupt the American food supply chain, threaten lives and separate families,” the union said in a recent statement on X.
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it executed criminal search warrants at Glass House Farms facilities on Thursday.
Mr Alanis called family to say he was hiding and possibly fleeing agents before he fell around 30ft (9m) from the roof and broke his neck, according to information from family, hospital and government sources.
Agents arrested 200 people suspected of being in the country illegally and identified at least 10 immigrant children on the sites, the DHS said in a statement.
Mr Alanis was not among them, the agency said.
“This man was not in and has not been in CBP (Customs and Border Protection) or ICE custody,” DHS assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin said.
“Although he was not being pursued by law enforcement, this individual climbed up to the roof of a greenhouse and fell 30ft. CBP immediately called a medivac to the scene to get him care as quickly as possible.”
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Four US citizens were arrested during the incident for allegedly “assaulting or resisting officers”, the DHS said, and authorities were offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a person suspected of firing a gun at federal agents.
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In a statement, Glass House, a licensed Cannabis grower, said immigration agents had valid warrants. It said workers were detained and it is helping provide them with legal representation.
“Glass House has never knowingly violated applicable hiring practices and does not and has never employed minors,” it added.
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