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Recovery Story of David Crosby

There are only four outcomes if you become truly strung out: you die, you end up in a mental institution, you go to prison, or you quit.” – The Observer
Among rock and roll legends, few can match the legacy of David Crosby, who passed away at the age of 81 on January 19, 2023. Crosby led a high-octane rock and roll lifestyle that exacted a toll. After years of substance abuse, he underwent a liver transplant in 1994, heart surgery in his 70s, and battled diabetes and hepatitis C. A Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and a founding member of iconic bands like The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash, he is celebrated as one of the most influential singer-songwriters of the 20th century. As is often the case with prominent rock stars, a mix of inflated egos and heavy drug use threatened to derail Crosby’s career during his peak.
As news of his passing spread, fellow musicians took to Twitter and other social media platforms to express their condolences.
Missing you already, Croz. Love to Jan,” James Taylor tweeted.
I’m heartbroken to hear about David Crosby. I don’t know what to say other than he was an unbelievable talent—a remarkable singer and songwriter. He was also a wonderful person,” Brian Wilson shared on Facebook and Twitter.

Rock, Drugs, and David Crosby

David Crosby’s journey began in sunny Los Angeles, where he was born on August 14, 1941, to cinematographer Floyd Crosby and Aliph Van Cortlandt Whitehead, a descendant of the notable Van Cortlandt family.
From an early age, Crosby showed a keen interest in the arts and pursued drama at Santa Barbara City College. However, his ambitions of becoming an actor were quickly overshadowed by even greater dreams of becoming a musician.
David Crosby in 1976
David Gans, David Crosby in 1976, CC BY-SA 2.0

David Crosby’s Teenage Years

At 16, David learned to play guitar from his older brother, Ethan. The duo performed at coffeehouses and recorded folk music, which eventually led David to drop out of school to pursue music full-time.
In the early 1960s, Crosby formed a band with fellow guitarists Roger McGuinn and Gene Clark, initially called Jet Set. They later added bassist Chris Hillman and drummer Michael Clarke, renaming themselves The Byrds.
The Byrds emerged as one of the most influential groups of the 1960s, crafting hits like “Turn, Turn, Turn” and “Mr. Tambourine Man,” with Crosby contributing rhythm guitar, arrangements, and harmonies. However, tensions grew within the band as members resented Crosby for allegedly trying to dictate their musical direction and for his insistence on making political statements.
On June 17, 1967, during the Monterey Pop Festival, Crosby delivered lengthy speeches between songs, discussing controversial topics such as the JFK assassination and advocating for giving LSD to “all the statesmen and politicians in the world.” Ultimately, his bandmates decided they would be better off without him, leading to his dismissal from The Byrds in 1967.
Crosby, however, quickly found his footing, producing numerous projects in the 1960s and co-founding rock’s first “supergroup,” Crosby, Stills, and Nash, alongside Stephen Stills from Buffalo Springfield and Graham Nash from The Hollies.
Reflecting on their first jam together, Crosby recalled, “I thought I was gonna die. I thought my heart was gonna jump right through my mouth. It was about the most exciting thing I ever heard.” Crosby, Stills, and Nash would go on to become one of the biggest folk/rock/jazz groups in the world.
However, with fame came a fast-paced lifestyle.
David Gans, David-Crosby 1976, CC BY-SA 2.0

Crosby’s Drug Use

Never once, until I got out of prison, did I ever record, perform, or do anything any way except stoned. I did it all stoned.” – Long Time Gone
Crosby was no stranger to drug use. In his youth, his passion for marijuana even led him to help supply the Beatles with high-quality cannabis during their visits to Los Angeles. However, as the free love and psychedelic culture of the 1960s transitioned into the 1970s, the hippie lifestyle was replaced by a more hedonistic approach. Substances like marijuana and LSD gave way to harder drugs such as cocaine, crack, and heroin.
You have to understand that I wanted to quit. But I was so severely addicted that I probably tried to ten times and failed. If you try enough times and fail, you don’t believe you can. And I had pretty much given up. I thought I was going to die on drugs.” – San Diego Tribune
In 1969, tragedy struck when Crosby’s girlfriend, Christine Hinton, was killed in a car accident shortly after they had moved to the Bay Area. This loss pushed Crosby into deeper drug abuse, beginning with a weeks-long odyssey on a yacht filled with women and narcotics.
Over the years, Crosby was arrested multiple times for possession, gaining a reputation for carrying a .45 automatic. In one incident, he pulled the gun on an aggressive parking lot attendant, and on another occasion, he fired at burglars raiding his home.
Despite numerous arrests, he never seemed to learn from his mistakes. During the 1970s, the band began to unravel, with each member focusing more on solo projects, culminating in a brief reunion in 1974 that ultimately fell apart.
We were our own worst enemy. Put the four of us in a room, and anything could trigger a fatal blast. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young wouldn’t tour together again for 26 years.” – Wild Tales: A Rock & Roll Life
By 1976, Crosby had developed a perforated septum from nearly a decade of snorting cocaine. To circumvent this issue, he began freebasing cocaine with ether—commonly known as crack—smoking as much as an ounce per day.
Throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s, he became less renowned for his music and more infamous for his chaotic lifestyle, escalating to injecting heroin while continuing to smoke crack and facing frequent legal troubles.
David-Crosby-Recovery-Story
In 1982, while en route to a show, Crosby crashed his car into a concrete freeway divider following a drug-induced seizure. When rescuers pulled him from the wreckage, they discovered cocaine and a .45 automatic in the vehicle.
He was later arrested while on bail for the cocaine charges stemming from the accident, this time facing additional charges for possession of heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and codeine.
I don’t know why I’m alive and Jimi isn’t, and Janis isn’t, and Mama Cass isn’t, and all my other friends. I have no idea why me, but I got lucky.” – Rolling Stone
Concerned for their friend, Crosby’s bandmates and other musicians urged him to seek help in rehab. Even Pete Townshend of The Who tried to assist Crosby in getting clean. However, after entering rehab for just a day and then leaving, Crosby was arrested and sentenced to nine months in Texas State Prison in Huntsville. This experience ultimately may have saved his life.

Crosby Finds Recovery from Drug Addiction

In 1986, Crosby emerged from prison and embarked on a new chapter in his life. During his time incarcerated, he refrained from using drugs, despite their availability.
He devoted himself to reading, responding to fan mail, writing letters, composing numerous songs, and playing guitar in the prison band. Crosby attributes his time in prison to providing him the opportunity to truly get sober and regain his footing.
Prison is a very effective tool for getting your attention. When I went in, I was a junkie and a freebaser—as far down the drug totem pole as you can go. And I was psychotic. But what happens is, it’s no longer a matter of choice: You’re there and you can’t get any drugs. Eventually, you wake up from that nightmare you put yourself in and remember who you are.” – Rolling Stone
Since then, Crosby has continued to write, record music, and tour. His autobiographies include Long Time Gone and Since Then: How I Survived Everything and Lived to Tell About It. He also co-authored Stand and Be Counted, a history of protest music.
While Crosby champions recovery and sobriety, he prefers a lifestyle of moderation. He abstains from hard drugs and alcohol but still smokes marijuana for its medical benefits. Thanks to his recovery efforts, the world has enjoyed David Crosby’s presence for many more years.
While it may not be complete sobriety, David Crosby successfully halted his destructive drug use and changed the course of his life. Thanks to his recovery efforts, the singer-songwriter has grown closer to his children than ever and plans to continue singing, recording, and sharing messages of life and love.
If you or a loved one are struggling with addiction, please reach out to Sunrise Recovery today to know more how one of our addiction rehab centers in Indiana can help and change your life.

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