The Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh died on Friday, October 25, at the age of 84.
Lesh’s team confirmed his death via his official Instagram page, sharing that the musician “passed peacefully this morning.”
“He was surrounded by his family and full of love,” the statement read. “Phil brought immense joy to everyone around him and leaves behind a legacy of music and love. We request that you respect the Lesh family’s privacy at this time.”
Lesh was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where he eventually went to college at the University of California, Berkeley to study music and composition. After graduating, Lesh teamed up with Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan and Bill Kreutzmann to form the Warlocks band in 1965.
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The band, which was part of the hippie movement, changed their name to The Grateful Dead that December and released their self-titled first album in March 1967. The group went on to release 13 studio albums and 10 live albums from 1967 to 1995 when they disbanded. (The Grateful Dead stopped working together after lead singer Garcia’s death that summer at the age of 53.)
Lesh continued his career by performing as Phil Lesh and Friends, which was made up of a rotating group of musicians. In 2012, Lesh opened Terrapin Crossroads in San Rafael, California, which is a restaurant and venue, where his sons, Grahame and Brian, whom he shares with wife Jill, are the house band.
Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, Mickey Hart and Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead Chris Walter/Getty Images
Lesh reunited with the four surviving members of The Grateful Dead in 2015 to celebrate their 50th anniversary with the “Fare Thee Well” shows in Chicago.
The bassist had a series of health issues over the years, including undergoing a liver transplant in 1998 after contracting hepatitis C years prior. He later survived prostate cancer and in 2015 he announced he was diagnosed with bladder cancer.
Following his death, there has been an outpouring of love from “Deadheads,” who are fans of the rock band as well as celebrities on social media.
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The Empire State Building announced via X on Friday that it will be lit up this evening in tie-dye to honor “the life and legacy” of Lesh.
Journalist Ron Lieber called Lesh, “A joker, a prankster, a thunder-bomb thrower, a rainmaker, a box builder, a headband wearer, a rocker of tie-dyes, a weaver of chains, broken and unbroken,” via Instagram. “Already on the four winds and probably safely home at that. His memory is a blessing.”
Musician Mikaela Davis commented on Lesh’s death announcement, writing in the comments, “Thank you for everything Phil. Sending love to all ♥️.”