Grateful Dead icon Phil Lesh has died at age 84.
The bassist and founding member of the rock band ‘passed away peacefully’ on Friday, October 25, a statement confirmed on his Instagram page.
The statement read: ‘Phil Lesh, bassist and founding member of The Grateful Dead, passed away peacefully this morning.
‘He was surrounded by his family and full of love. Phil brought immense joy to everyone around him and leaves a legacy of music and love.
“We ask that you respect the privacy of the Lesh family at this time.”
The cause of his death is currently unknown. He previously battled cancer twice: prostate cancer in 2006 and bladder cancer in 2015.
Grateful Dead icon Phil Lesh dead at 84 – pictured in 2019
The bassist and founding member of the rock band ‘passed away peacefully’ on Friday, October 25 – a statement on his Instagram page confirms this.
Lesh (second from left) is pictured with Grateful Dead members Mickey Hart, Jerry Garcia, Brent Mydland, Bill Kreutzmann and Bob Weir.
Lesh is best known for co-founding the rock band in 1965; They became one of the most influential bands in the world.
The original lineup consisted of Lesh, Mickey Hart, Jerry Garcia, Brent Mydland, Bill Kreutzmann and Bob Weir.
Beginning as a folk-infused quintet in 1960s psychedelic-era San Francisco, the Grateful Dead steadily transformed into a cultural phenomenon and one of the most successful touring acts of all time.
Fueled by the carnival atmosphere of their traveling Deadhead fan base and an ethos that encouraged tape sharing and emphasized live performance over studio production, the Dead have spanned several generations and remain wildly popular. .
Lead guitarist and founding member Jerry Garcia died in 1995, but the band continued to tour almost non-stop in multiple incarnations.
“There are a lot of ingredients involved,” said drummer Mickey Hart, when asked about the music’s longevity. ‘Fans say the shows feel like home. It gives them that feeling of connection, community, joy and love for life and music.’
Currently calling themselves Dead and Company with guitarist John Mayer taking Garcia’s place, the band recently had a residency at The Sphere in Las Vegas.
After the band disbanded in 1995, Lesh founded the side project Phil Lesh and Friends, which played Grateful Dead songs and original songs by his group.
He also ran his own music venue called Terrapin Crossroads.
In 1999 and 2000, he co-headlined two tours with Bob Dylan.
From 2009 to 2014 he performed with Weir in Furthur.
In his later years he performed with the Lesh family band, alongside Cory, Heidi and Joseph Lesh.
The cause of Lesh’s death is currently unknown. He previously battled bladder cancer in 2015 (pictured in 2006).
The star toured solo as Phil Lesh & Friends; He will be seen performing in July 2023.