David Crosby spoke about heaven one day before his death.
The musician, who was a founding member of the bands Crosby, Stills & Nash and The Byrds, died on Thursday at the age of 81.
The day prior, he went on Twitter to share various posts about heaven and loneliness, joking in the first of his posts on Wednesday: “I heard the place is overrated….cloudy.”
Crosby’s post was a response to an image shared by the Twitter account @stiflersmomsays, which shows a screenshot of a google search for the phrase “can we go to heaven with tattoos.”
The photo shows the top result: “People with tattoos will not go to heaven. People who drink alcohol will not go to heaven. People who eat too much pork will also not go to heaven. Short people will not go to heaven.”
While Crosby responded to the idea of heaven with humor, he later responded to a post that asked for the best song by The Beatles to play on a rainy day with “Rigby” (Eleanor Rigby) as the answer.
Beatles member Paul McCartney shared in a self-written essay for The New Yorker in 2021 that the 1966 tune was created “to evoke the subject of loneliness” after befriending an “old lady” when he was a child.
“Those opening lines—”Eleanor Rigby / Picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been / Lives in a dream.” It’s a little strange to be picking up rice after a wedding. Does that mean she was a cleaner, someone not invited to the wedding, and only viewing the celebrations from afar?” explains McCartney, 80, in his essay.
McCartney adds while speaking about the song’s inspiration: “Why would she be doing that? I wanted to make it more poignant than her just cleaning up afterward, so it became more about someone who was lonely. Someone not likely to have her own wedding, but only the dream of one.”
After sharing the song recommendation on Twitter, Crosby responded to a fan’s comment describing the song as a “profoundly striking song about the forgotten people we look past,” adding that it is one of McCartney’s “best.”
One of his best https://t.co/cLMK6NCOQF
— David Crosby (@thedavidcrosby) January 18, 2023
In a statement to Variety, Crosby’s wife, Jan Dance, confirmed his death on Thursday.
“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,” the statement reads. “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.”
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