Dash Crofts, half of rock duo Seals & Crofts, has died at age 85.
Crofts, whose real name was Darrell, died Wednesday due to complications from a heart surgery, his family told TMZ.
The band’s producer, Louie Shelton, first announced Crofts’ death Thursday on Facebook, writing: “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.”
Seals & Crofts was known for their 1970s hits like “Summer Breeze,” “Diamond Girl” and “Get Closer,” which all reached the top 10 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. Their 1972 album Summer Breeze, featuring the hit song with the same title, went double-platinum after its release.
The band’s other founding member, Jim Seals, died in June 2022 aged 79 after a long illness.
Crofts and Seals, both born and raised in Texas, played together in the rock band The Champs before they formed their own soft rock group in Los Angeles in 1969.
The musicians both sang in the group and wrote their songs together. Crofts played guitar and Mandolin, while Seals played guitar, mandolin, fiddle and saxophone.
The two musicians were both outspoken advocates for the Baháʼí Faith, which focuses on the oneness of God and humanity. They often wrote songs influenced on the religion and used the band’s popularity to promote the ideas. When they played concerts, the duo were known for staying on stage after the performance to speak about their faith and pass out literature to the crowd.
Seals & Crofts disbanded in 1981 but reunited from 1989 to 1992. The pair released their final album, Traces, in 2004.
While the band was on hiatus, Crofts released a solo album, Today, in 1998, and worked with horses on a farm in Texas.
He married wife Billie Lee Day in 1969 after meeting in their band The Dawnbreakers. The pair had two daughters together, Amelia Dailey and Lua Crofts. The family lived in Mexico, then later Australia and Nashville, Tennessee.
Both of Crofts’ daughters are vocalists, carrying on their father’s legacy as a musician.
Dailey formed a musical trio called the Humming Birds in 2010 with Seals’ daughter, Juliet Crossley, and Genevieve Dozier, the daughter of Seals & Crofts engineer Joey Brogan.
Lua Crofts began touring with Seals’ cousin, Brady Seals, in 2018 as a group called Seals & Crofts 2. The pair performed their fathers’ songs, as well as their original music.
Crofts is survived by Day and their two daughters.
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