NEW YORK — Dash Crofts, of the “Summer Breeze” duo Seals and Crofts, died Wednesday, nearly four years after musical partner Jim Seals. He was 85.
Producer Louie Shelton, who reportedly collaborated with the musicians on multiple tracks, paid tribute to the Grammy nominee early Thursday on Facebook.
A relative of Crofts’ then confirmed to TMZ that he’d died Wednesday due to heart surgery complications. The family has not yet planned a memorial.
“Sad to hear our dear brother and partner in music has passed away today,” wrote Shelton. “Sending love and prayers to all his family and many fans. R.I.P. my brother…..Dash Crofts.”
Croft’s musical partner Seals died in June 2022 following a hospital stint. His family confirmed to TMZ at the time that he’d suffered multiple health issues, including with his kidneys and lungs. He was 80.
Crofts, whose birth name was Darrell, met Seals in their native Texas as adolescents. They toured in 1958 with the Champs. It was during the following decade that they went out on their own.
The duo first landed on the Billboard Hot 100 with 1972’s “Summer Breeze,” with the track peaking at No. 6 that November. The song experienced a significant resurgence in popularity on the heels of Seals’ death, including a 548% jump in reported downloads a 25% increase in U.S. streams, per Billboard.
They achieved gold status for five albums between 1972 and 1976. They ended their musical partnership in 1980 with the release of “The Longest Road” album.
Other notable songs include “Diamond Girl,” which also hit No. 6, and “We May Never Pass This Way (Again)” — both off 1973’s “Diamond Girl” — as well as the soundtrack for 1977’s “One on One.”
Seals and Crofts engaged in what Variety dubbed “a couple of very fleeting reunions” during the early 1990s and 2000s, releasing the 2004 album “Traces,” which included rerecordings of their earlier hits.