Who Was David Crosby’s Wife? How Many Kids Did He Have?

Singer/songwriter David Crosby, a founding member of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash, died at 81. While he announced he was finished performing live eight months before his death, Crosby lived a rich life and will forever be remembered for his contributions to music. So, who was David Crosby’s wife, Jan Dance? And how many kids did he have? Here’s what to know.

Who is David Crosby’s wife, Jan Dance?

David Crosby married his wife, Jan Dance, in May 1987, AmoMama reports. The two met when she was working as an entertainment industry receptionist, and they bonded over their love for music. Two hundred people attended their wedding, including big names like Joe Walsh, Howard Hessman, and Stephen Stills.

“I was so in love with music,” Dance stated. “It was a great open door for me. The Eagles recorded at Criteria. And the Bee Gees, Eric Clapton, and Aretha Franklin. … It was a unique time; the studio people and the people who came to record grew together, and I could actually see a song and album be born. To me, that was the greatest gift there was.”

Dance was taken entirely by Crosby’s lyrics. Unfortunately, she didn’t think they could ever be together, as Crosby had a girlfriend when they first met. “Now, I didn’t realize at the time what kind of fascination I was building up for the man personally, but I did know that I stopped any idea of pursuing my personal interest for him because he had a girlfriend, and I was of the mind where if people have mates … then it’s not a kind or human thing to do to chase them away,” she stated.

Crosby spoke to The Guardian about the support he received from his wife. “If I had not had somebody to keep me going, somebody who cared about me, somebody I loved, I think I would have ended my life many times back then,” he said. “Either by accident or on purpose, yes. One of the two.”

Who are David Crosby’s kids?

David Crosby technically had six kids during his lifetime, but only one with his wife, Jan Dance. He had James Raymond, Erika Keller Crosby, and Donovan Crosby with women aside from Dance. Crosby then was a sperm donor for Melissa Etheridge’s kids, Beckett and Bailey Cypher. He and Dance had Django Crosby.

Crosby had no idea Raymond existed for the first 30 years of his son’s life. The Guardian reports Crosby was in his early 20s when Raymond’s mother got pregnant. “She gave him up for adoption and didn’t tell me he existed,” Crosby said. Eventually, Raymond found out Crosby was his biological father after Raymond’s adoptive parents recommended looking into it.

“So, he went to check, and he sees my name there, and he thinks: ‘Nah, couldn’t be.’ So, he checks first names and middle names [Van Cortlandt] and realizes, yeah, it is me,” Crosby continued. “He’d already been a musician for 20 years when we met up so anybody who tells you it’s not genetic, you tell them come talk to me.”

Raymond and Crosby went on to have a unique father-son relationship by making music together. “But James did a wonderful thing, man,” Crosby said. “He gave me a chance to earn my way into his life.”

He’s the biological father of Melissa Etheridge’s son, Beckett Cypher, who died

While David Crosby and his wife only had one child, he was the biological father of Melissa Etheridge’s son and daughter. Newsweek reports Crosby donated sperm to Etheridge and her ex-partner, Julie Cypher, making Beckett and Bailey Cypher Crosby’s biological kids.

Unfortunately, Beckett Cypher died at 21 years old following an opioid addiction. “Believe me, it hurt,” Crosby said, according to The Guardian. “He was a skateboarder and he’d had a couple of crashes and he got some painkillers. They got him strung out on that then he ran into somebody who had really strong stuff and he overdosed and died. And that’s … that’s … that’s … how it normally goes.”

Crosby then noted he loved Etheridge’s two kids, Beckett and Bailey Cypher, and maintained relationships with them.

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