Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
Legendary bassist Phil Lesh, one of the founding members of The Grateful Dead, died on Friday at the age of 84.
“Phil Lesh, bassist and founding member of The Grateful Dead, passed peacefully this morning,” a statement on a post on Instagram on his account read. “He was surrounded by his family and full of love.”
“Phil brought immense joy to everyone around him and leaves behind a legacy of music and love,” the statement added. “We request that you respect the Lesh family’s privacy at this time.”
Lesh was one of the founding members in 1965 along with Jerry Garcia, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, Bobby Weir, and Bill Kreutzmann. He played with the band for the entirety of its 30 year career.
Lesh not only helped craft their unique sound that fans came to love, but also in helping to write some of the group’s most memorable songs such as “Dark Star,” “St. Stephen,” as well as “Truckin,” “Box of Rain,” and “Cumberland Blues.”
Born in Berkley, California in 1940, Lesh had a love of music from a very young age, becoming classically trained in both the violin and trumpet, before he found his calling as a rock bassist, the Associated Press noted.
Fans of the band would often be treated to spontaneous jazz-infused jam sessions between Garcia and Lesh at their concerts.
“It’s always fluid, we just pretty much figure it out on the fly,” Lesh said. “You can’t set those things in stone in the rehearsal room.”
In 1994, he and members of the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. A year later, the band dissolved after Garcia’s death in 1995.
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His passing comes just days after MusicCares announced it would be honoring original members of the band as its 2025 Persons of the Year. MusicCares is an organization which helps music professionals needing financial or other kinds of assistance.
“This honor is truly a testament to the legacy of the music, which has always been bigger than us — it’s about the connection between us, the crew, and all those who’ve been on this long strange trip,” Mickey Hart, Kreutzmann, Weir, and Lesh shared in a joint statement on Wednesday.
“It’s not just about what we create, but about making sure the people behind it, behind us every night, the ones who quietly make it all happen, get the support they need to keep going, no matter what life throws at them.”
In 2006, he successfully beat prostate cancer and nine years later he was successfully fully treated for bladder cancer. Four years later, he had back surgery, the Times noted.
Lesh is survived by his wife, Jill, and their two sons Brian and Grahame.
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