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Singer-songwriter David Crosby, who performed the iconic "Ohio" with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young following the events at Kent State of May 4, 1970, passed away at the age of 81. 

The song grew quickly across the globe after the Ohio National Guard opened fire on Kent State students, killing four and wounding nine, during an anti-war protest on the Kent Campus. 

Singer David Crosby points at a photo of the May 4, 1970, shootings that killed four Kent State students.

Crosby was scheduled to perform in Kent as part of the 50th Commemoration of May 4, but the pandemic canceled all of the planned events.

Crosby visited Kent State in 2017 and toured the May 4 Visitors Center saying in an interview with Kent State Today that the center hit him like a bucket of cold water. 

Crosby’s unparalleled six-decade career has left an indelible mark upon many generations of listeners. A two-time inductee to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Crosby began his professional musical career as a founding member of The Byrds in the mid-’60s, performing on such classics as “Eight Miles High” and “Mr. Tambourine Man.”

Crosby then formed Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSN&Y) in the late ’60s, performing their second show at the famous Woodstock concert in 1969. Their 1969 self-titled debut album and 1970 release “Déjà Vu” are considered two of the greatest albums in the history of rock ’n’ roll. The group’s top 20 single “Ohio” was released in the summer of 1970 and helped to raise international awareness of the tragic events at Kent State on May 4, 1970.

The group Crosby, Stills & Nash performed an acoustic version of the song on the Commons at Kent State during the May 4 annual commemoration on May 4, 1997. More than 50 years after it was first released, the song “Ohio” continues to resonate strongly with audiences and other musicians and remained a highlight of Crosby’s performances.

Crosby was also inducted into the prestigious Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2009 and had continued to devote his time and songwriting to issues of social conscience. He had visited Kent State’s May 4 Visitors Center and performed in Kent many times over the years. His towering influence and brilliant ability to capture the spirit of our times in his music remains undiminished.