Founding Grateful Dead Member Passes Away
One of the founding members of the Grateful Dead has passed away. – Author: Charles Ken, “Best of the Grateful Dead” album cover via Grateful Dead Production / Rhino
It’s always a sad thing when a beloved, longtime musician passes away. But, as these musicians, especially in the classic rock genre, get older, these stories become far too common
Founding Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh has passed away. He was 84. While a statement released about Lesh’s passing doesn’t name a cause of death, Lesh revealed that he was dealing with bladder cancer in 2015.
Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead Was ‘Surrounded By His Family’
“He was surrounded by his family and full of love,” an official statement reads. “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.”
Fans are coming out of the woodwork to comment on the post and send their condolences. One fan writes, “Grateful for the years and the music. Your legacy will out live us all. RIP Phil Lesh.” Another stated, “Thank you Phil for your immense contribution to music and the community. Heartfelt condolences to Jill and the entire Lesh family.”
Another fan commented on the post, “How many people can say they have brought so much music into the world and that they were able to do what they loved for so long? Rest easy, and thank you. Tell Jerry and Brent hello.” One more stated, “Oh, no. He is my musical hero and such a fine example of sticking to your guns. Amd he was such a champion if collaborative music making.”
Reading these comments from fans, it’s obvious that Lesh was loved by many.
USA Today notes that, “As was the case for many musicians in the ’60s and ’70s, Lesh, along with his bandmate Jerry Garcia, battled addictions to various vices. Although Garcia died in 1995 while being treated for a heroin addiction, Lesh, with the fierce support of his wife, got clean and managed to live on for decades.”
“As one of the co-founders and longest-tenured members of the Grateful Dead, Lesh was an essential part of a group that became synonymous with touring and live performance in rock music,” added The Hollywood Reporter. “With their singular instrumental interplay, their trademark iconography, their strong sense of community and their association with the hippie lifestyle, they became the forefathers of the jam band movement — with a fanbase of ‘Deadheads’ as singularly devoted as any other band of the 20th century, enduring well into the new millennium.”
Phil Lesh Started Out on Trumpet
Lesh was actually a classically trained trumpeter and starting playing bass at the request of the late Jerry Garcia’s request after joining the Warlocks. Soon thereafter, the Warlocks were renamed the Grateful Dead, and the rest if rock ‘n’ roll history.
Lesh co-write some of the band’s biggest songs, such as “Truckin'” and “Box of Rain.”
“In terms of the Grateful Dead,” Lesh told Forbes, adding, “the medium is the message in the sense that when you see us up there playing music, collaborating and making music together, making music that’s never been made before, there’s always some new element in it.”
The Grateful Dead stayed together from 1965 until Garcia’s passing in 1995. Garcia was also a founding member of the band. Garcia’s death was difficult for Lesh. “Jerry was the hub,” he said in an interview with Rolling Stone. “We were the spokes – and the music was the tread on the wheel.”
The staff of Audio Ink Radio sends condolences and prayers to Lesh’s family during this difficult time.
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