the brash rock musician who evolved from a baby-faced harmony singer with the Byrds to a mustachioed hippie superstar and an ongoing troubadour in Crosby, Stills, Nash & (sometimes) Young, has died at 81, several media outlets reported Thursday.

The New York Times reported, based on a text message from Crosby鈥檚 sister in law, that the musician died Wednesday night. Several media outlets reported Crosby鈥檚 death citing anonymous sources; The Associated Press was unable to reach Crosby鈥檚 representatives and his widow.

Crosby underwent a liver transplant in 1994 after decades of drug use and survived diabetes, hepatitis C and heart surgery in his 70s.

While he only wrote a handful of widely known songs, the witty and ever opinionated Crosby was on the front lines of the cultural revolution of the 鈥�60s and 鈥�70s 鈥� whether triumphing with Stephen Stills, and Neil Young on stage at Woodstock, testifying on behalf of a hirsute generation in his anthem 鈥淎lmost Cut My Hair鈥� or mourning the assassination of Robert Kennedy in 鈥淟ong Time Gone.鈥�

He was a founder and focus of the Los Angeles rock music community from which such performers as the Eagles and Jackson Browne later emerged. He was a twinkly-eyed hippie patriarch, the inspiration for Dennis Hopper鈥檚 long-haired stoner in 鈥淓asy Rider.鈥� He advocated for peace, but was an unrepentant loudmouth who practiced personal warfare and acknowledged that many of the musicians he worked with no longer spoke to him.

鈥淐rosby was a colorful and unpredictable character, wore a Mandrake the Magician cape, didn鈥檛 get along with too many people and had a beautiful voice 鈥� an architect of harmony,鈥� Bob Dylan wrote in his 2004 memoir, 鈥淐hronicles: Volume One.鈥�

Crosby鈥檚 drug use left him bloated, broke and alienated. He kicked the addiction in 1985 and 1986 in Texas on drug and weapons charges. The conviction eventually was overturned.

鈥淚鈥檝e always said that I picked up the guitar as a shortcut to sex and after my first joint I was sure that if everyone smoked dope there鈥檇 be an end to war,鈥� Crosby said in his 1988 autobiography, 鈥淟ong Time Gone,鈥� co-written with Carl Gottlieb. 鈥淚 was right about the sex. I was wrong when it came to drugs.鈥�

He lived years longer than even he expected and in his 70s enjoyed a creative renaissance, issuing several solo albums while collaborating with others including his son James Raymond, who became a favorite songwriting partner.

鈥淢ost guys my age would have done a covers record or duets on old material,鈥� he told Rolling Stone in 2013, shortly before 鈥淐roz鈥� was released. 鈥淭his won鈥檛 be a huge hit. It鈥檒l probably sell nineteen copies. I don鈥檛 think kids are gonna dig it, but I鈥檓 not making it for them. I鈥檓 making it for me. I have this stuff that I need to get off my chest.鈥�

In 2019, Crosby was produced by Cameron Crowe.

While his solo career thrived, his seemingly lifetime bond with Nash dissolved. Crosby was angered by Nash鈥檚 2013 memoir 鈥淲ild Tales鈥� (whiny and dishonest, he called it) and relations between the two spilled into an ugly public feud, with Nash and Crosby agreeing on one thing: Crosby, Stills and Nash was finished. Donald Trump鈥檚 election as U.S. president did lead Crosby to suggest that he was open to a Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young protest tour, but his old bandmates declined to respond.

Crosby became a star in the mid-1960s with the seminal folk-rock group The Byrds, known for such hits as 鈥淭urn! Turn! Turn!鈥� and 鈥淢r. Tambourine Man.鈥� Clean-cut and baby-faced at the time, he contributed harmonies that were a key part of the band鈥檚 innovative blend of The Beatles and Dylan. Crosby was among the first American stars to become close to The Beatles, and helped introduce George Harrison to Eastern music.

Troubled relations with bandmates pushed Crosby out of The Byrds and into a new group. Crosby, Stills and Nash鈥檚 first meeting is part of rock folklore: Stills and Crosby were at Joni Mitchell鈥檚 house in 1968 (Stills would contend they were at Mama Cass鈥�), working on the ballad 鈥淵ou Don鈥檛 Have to Cry,鈥� when Nash suggested they start over again. Nash鈥檚 high harmony added a magical layer to Stills鈥� rough bottom and Crosby鈥檚 mellow middle and a supergroup was born.

Their eponymous debut album was an instant success that helped redefine commercial music. The songs were longer and more personal than their individual prior outputs, yet easily relatable for an audience also embracing a more open lifestyle.

Their spirited harmonies and themes of peace and love became emblematic of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their version of the Mitchell song 鈥淲oodstock鈥� was the theme for the documentary about the 1969 rock concert during which the group made only its second live appearance together. Crosby had produced Mitchell鈥檚 first album, 鈥淪ong to a Seagull,鈥� in 1968, and for a time was her boyfriend (as was Nash).

Now wearing the drooping, bushy mustache that would define him ever after, Crosby provided harmony and rhythm guitar, and his songs reflected his own volatile personality. They ranged from the misty-eyed romanticism of 鈥淕uinevere,鈥� to the spirituality of 鈥淒eja Vu,鈥� to the operatic paranoia of 鈥淎lmost Cut My Hair.鈥�

Some critics panned the group as soft-headed and self-indulgent.

鈥淚f you鈥檙e into living-room rock, fireplace harmonies and just a taste of good old social consciousness, this is your group,鈥� reported Rolling Stone, which nonetheless rarely missed a chance to write about the band.

But CSN, as they would soon be called, won a best new artist Grammy and remained a worldwide touring act and brand name decades later.

The first album was an easy, happy recording, but the mood darkened during the second album, 鈥淒eja Vu.鈥� The band was joined who had feuded with Stills while both were in Buffalo Springfield and continued to do so.

Everyone in the band was troubled: Nash and Mitchell were splitting up, and so were Stills and singer Judy Collins. Crosby, meanwhile, was so devastated by the death of girlfriend Christine Hinton in a car accident, that he would lay on the studio floor and sob.

Featuring a rougher, less unified sound, the album released in 1970 and was another commercial smash. Yet within two years, the quartet had broken up, destined to continuously reunite and splinter for the rest of their lives.

They worked in every combination possible 鈥� as solo artists, as duos, trios and, occasionally, all four together. They played stadiums and clubs. They as the Cold War was ending and turned up in 2011 for the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York.

In recent years, Crosby toured often, and candidly answered questions on Twitter with a blend of affection and exasperation, whether commenting on rock star peers or assessing the quality of a fan鈥檚 marijuana joint. He loved sailing and his greatest regret, besides hard drugs, was selling his 74-foot boat because of money problems. Among the songs completed on the boat was the classic 鈥淲ooden Ships,鈥� co-written with Stills and Jefferson Airplane鈥檚 Paul Kantner.

Crosby was born David Van Cortlandt Crosby on Aug. 14, 1941, in Los Angeles. His father was Oscar-winning cinematographer Floyd Crosby of 鈥淗igh Noon鈥� fame. The family, including his mother, Aliph, and brother, Floyd Jr., later moved to Santa Barbara.

Crosby was exposed early to classical, folk and jazz music. In his autobiography, Crosby said that as a child he used to harmonize as his mother sang, his father played mandolin and his brother played guitar.

鈥淲hen rock 鈥榥鈥� roll came in during that era and the Age of Elvis possessed America, I wasn鈥檛 into it,鈥� he recalled.

His brother taught him to play guitar and, still in his teens, he began performing in Santa Barbara clubs. He moved to Los Angeles to study acting in 1960 but abandoned the idea and became a folk singer, working around the country before joining The Byrds. Like so many folk performers, Crosby was dazzled by the Beatles鈥� 1964 movie 鈥淎 Hard Day鈥檚 Night鈥� and decided to become a rock star.

Crosby in 1987. The couple had a son, Django, in 1995. Crosby also had a daughter, Donovan, with Debbie Donovan. Shortly after he underwent the liver transplant, Crosby was reunited with Raymond, who had been placed for adoption in 1961. Raymond, Crosby and Jeff Pevar later performed together in a group called CPR.

鈥淚 regretted losing him many times,鈥� Crosby told the AP of Raymond in 1998. 鈥淚 was too immature to parent anybody, and too irresponsible.鈥�

In 2000, Melissa Etheridge revealed that Crosby was the father of the two children she shared with then-partner Julie Cypher. Cypher carried the children Crosby fathered by artificial insemination, Etheridge told Rolling Stone. One son, .

Crosby didn鈥檛 help raise the children but said, 鈥淚f, you know, in due time, at a distance, they鈥檙e proud of who their genetic dad is, that鈥檚 great.鈥�

鈥擱obert Jablon, The Associated Press