David Crosby died during battle with COVID-19, according to Graham Nash

David Crosby passed away during a battle with COVID-19, according to his former Crosby, Stills and Nash bandmate Graham Nash.

Nash said "none of us" knew Crosby was close to death when the rocker died at age 81 in January. He called the two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee's death "shocking" and "kind of like an earthquake."

“He was rehearsing for a show to do in Los Angeles with a full band,” Nash said on an episode of the Kyle Meredith With... podcast that was released Friday. “After three days of rehearsals, he felt a little sick. And he’d already had COVID, and he had COVID again. And so he went home and decided that he would take a nap, and he never woke up. But he died in his bed, and that is fantastic."

Nash also shared that while some "expected David to pass 20 years ago, the fact that he made it to 81 was astonishing." He went on to say how pleased he was that he and Crosby were growing closer in recent years. "He had a good life. What incredible music he made. He was a fantastic storyteller," said Nash. "I loved him dearly, and looking back, what separated us ... it was just foolish stuff, really."

Crosby's death was announced in January in a statement by his wife of 36 years, Jan Dance.

“It is with great sadness after a long illness, that our beloved David (Croz) Crosby has passed away,” the statement read, Yahoo Entertainment previously reported. “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.”

Last year, Crosby discussed his earlier bout with COVID-19 in an interview with Variety, calling the experience "awful."

"“COVID is a very weird disease. It makes you feel absolutely freaking awful. It has been thoroughly unpleasant … it’s no fun at all," Crosby said. "You want to avoid it if you possibly can.”

Crosby went on to say that at age 80, he no longer felt well enough to tour and perform as he used to.

“I’m too old to do it anymore. I’m too old to do it anymore," he shared. "I don’t have the stamina; I don’t have the strength.”

Back in 2019, Crosby told the L.A. Times that he expected to die soon, mentioning the years he’d “wasted just getting smashed" during his struggle with drug and alcohol addiction. However, he also shared in an interview with Yahoo Entertainment that while he felt a sense of “survivor's guilt" because so many of his talented peers had died young, he possessed a strong understanding that he needed to make his years count.

"You wonder, ‘Why me?’ I don't have an answer to that, but I figure the answer is, ‘OK, well, I don't know why, but I'm here.’ So then, if you are given the lifetime to do something with it, then do something worthwhile," he said.