‘70s hitmaker Dash Crofts passed away on Wednesday, March 25, after succumbing to complications from heart surgery. He was 87 years old, TMZ reported.
Crofts, whose real name is Darrell Crofts, was one half of the soft rock group Seals & Crofts. His group mate Jim Seals passed away in 2022.
Dash Crofts Battled ‘Health Issues’ Before Passing
The singer’s death was first announced by music producer Louie Shelton, who was behind Seals & Crofts’ biggest hits, including “Year of Sunday” (1971), “Summer Breeze” (1972), “Diamond Girl” (1973) and “Get Closer” (1976), according to All Music.
“Sad to hear our dear brother and partner in music has passed away today. Sending love and prayers to all his family and many fans. R.I.P. my brother…..Dash Crofts,” Shelton wrote on Facebook.
Just one week earlier on March 18, Shelton took to Facebook to ask for prayers for Crofts, stating that the artist was battling “health issues.”
“My brother, Dash Crofts needs some prayers tonight to help him get through some health issues. He’s hanging tough but we’re all getting old,” Shelton wrote at the time.
Seals & Crofts Fans Reminisce Over Dash Crofts’ Artistry
After Shelton announced Crofts’ death, fans of the hit group honored the singer in online comments, sharing in his memory and expressing that Seals was in Heaven waiting for them to reunite for another song.
“Very sad news. He and Jim Seals were one of the best singing duos in history. Such a talent. RIP Dash,” wrote one.
“Forever our brother in all the glorious worlds of God. No doubt he and Jimmy are once again creating the inspiring music only they could sing to perfection,” said another.
“Rest in peace- Dash I remember when we used to hang out at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas in 1967 with Jimmy seals and Louis Shelton and the sisters the Dawn Breakers,” recalled a third.
In addition to singing, fans also knew Crofts for his mandolin skills, which he played in both recordings and concerts.
Seals & Crofts Legacy
Seals & Crofts were nominated for a Grammy Award on two occasions, once for “Diamond Girl” and again for “We Will Never Pass This Way (Again).” According to a publication from 1976, People dubbed the group “the straightest arrows on the rock road.”
In 1971, Seals, who died at the age of 79, opened up about the influence that he and Crofts had on fans, who would often tell them their sound reminded them of Persian music and sounds of the “old country.”
“I think our music is a combination of the Eastern part of the world and the Western,” Seals said, People reported. “We’ve had people from Greece, Israel, England and France, China, everywhere, listen to our music and say, ‘Oh, it’s music from the old country.’ And it really seemed strange to us because we didn’t realize it ourselves until we started comparing our work with, for example, Persian music, which, when you listen to it, is really very close to ours. And we had no knowledge of this at all beforehand. So it’s just something that happened.”
RIP Dash Crofts.
1 thought on “‘70s Hit Rocker Passes Away at 87 & Tributes Pour In”