Dash Crofts, a member of the popular 1970s soft-rock duo Seals & Crofts, has died at age 87. Crofts’ death was announced by his family in a message posted on Seals & Crofts’ social media pages.
“We are heartbroken to share the passing of our beloved father and husband Darrell ‘Dash’ George Crofts,” the message begins. “[He] passed away March 25, 2026 … surrounded by the love and prayers of his devoted wife and children.”
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[RELATED: Jim Seals, One Half of Soft Rock Duo Seals and Crofts, Died at 80]
The announcement continued, “With sorrow and gratitude we mourn a man whose loving-kindness, remarkable compassion, beautiful and tender voice has uplifted hearts across the globe. We extend our gratitude and appreciation for the outpouring of love and support that we have received from around the world and we celebrate and honor his legacy of service to mankind.”
Meanwhile, Dash’s daughter, Lua Crofts Faragher, told the Associated Press that her father died of heart failure at a hospital in Austin, Texas.
Crofts passing follows the June 2022 death of his duo partner, Jim Seals, who passed away and age 80.
Texas natives Crofts and Seals first began laying music together in high school. Dash was a multi-instrumentalist who could play mandolin, guitar, keyboards. and drums. The two musicians relocated to Los Angeles during the late 1950s. There, they joined The Champs after that band had scored a No. 1 hit in 1958 with “Tequila.”
Around 1963, Crofts and Seals joined a band led by Glen Campbell, playing with that group for about two years. Dash eventually moved back to Texas, but returned to L.A. in the late 1960s and formed the famous duo Seals & Crofts with his old friend.
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Seals & Crofts released their self-titled debut album in 1969. Starting with the duo’s second album, 1970’s Down Home, Dash began co-writing most of the group’s original tunes with Seals.
Seals & Crofts scored their breakthrough hit in 1972 with “Summer Breeze,” which peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. From 1973 through 1978, the duo landed seven more singles in the Top-40 of the Hot 100 chart. They included “Hummingbird,” (No. 20), “Diamond Girl” (No. 6), “We May Never Pass This Way (Again),” “I’ll Play for You” (No. 18) and “Get Closer” (No. 6).
In the late 1960s, Seals and Crofts both became adherents of the Baha’i faith. The duo often incorporated the religion’s message of global unity and peace into their songs.
Starting in 1980, Seals & Crofts went on a long hiatus after being dropped by their record label. The duo occasionally reunited over the years, and released a final studio album, Traces, in 2004. Traces featured a mix of new songs and re-recorded versions of the duo’s classic tunes. Crofts also released a solo album titled Today in 1998.
In 2018, Crofts’ daughter Lua and Seals’ cousin Brady formed the tribute act Seals & Crofts 2. The duo has several concerts scheduled in 2026. Visit SealsAndCrofts2.com for more information.
(Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)