People are only just figuring out this David Crosby joke in The Simpsons

Following news that musician David Crosby died, many are remembering moments from the legendary singer’s career, including one where he made an appearance on The Simpsons.

Crosby, who died on Wednesday at 81 years old, developed a public reputation for his drugs and alcohol misuse and was open about his struggle with addiction.

So when he made an appearance on The Simpsons in 1993, many did not realize a joke involving Crosby related to this.

In a season 5 episode called “Homer’s Barbershop Quartet,” Crosby makes a cameo as a Grammy Awards presenter where he meets Barney.

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Barney approaches Crosby saying, “You’re my hero!”

To which Crosby responds, “Oh, you like my music?”

Barney then says, “You’re a musician?”

As the town drunk, Barney’s fascination with Crosby is clearly rooted in their shared substance abuse.

The dark joke apparently went over several people's heads when they first saw the episode.

"As a kid I never got this. As a recovering alcoholic it’s now one of my favorite jokes in the whole series," a Twitter user wrote.

"I remember my father laughing very hard at this joke ... of course, I didn't get it," another person tweeted.

Crosby was also featured in another episode of The Simpsons where he is revealed to be a sponsor for another character suffering from substance use disorder.

Despite his struggle, the musician, obviously, could poke fun at his own life.

Crosby was most famous for his music and involvement in the bands The Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

He was inducted into the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame twice.

If you have been affected by this article, you can contact the following organisations for support: actiononaddiction.org.uk, mind.org.uk, nhs.uk/livewell/mentalhealth, mentalhealth.org.uk.