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Phil Lesh, the bass player who co-founded the legendary rock band Grateful Dead, died Friday. He was 84.
Lesh’s death was announced in a statement posted on his official Instagram account.
“Phil Lesh, bassist and founding member of the Grateful Dead, passed peacefully this morning,” the statement shared Friday 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. We request that you respect the Lesh family’s privacy at this time.”
The post did mention his cause of death.
Lesh’s passing comes just two days after the Recording Academy named Grateful Dead as the 2025 MusiCares Persons of the Year.
In addition to Lesh, his surviving co-founders Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann and the late Jerry Garcia were chosen as honorees in recognition of their philanthropy and cultural impact.
The Recording Academy traditionally puts on an all-star tribute concert to the award recipient two nights before the annual Grammy Awards. Next year will mark the band’s 60th anniversary.
The oldest member of Grateful Dead, Lesh was born March 15, 1940, in Berkeley, California. He grew up playing viola and trumpet in school before trying his hand at composing. He was admitted to UC-Berkeley but dropped out duiring his semester. Lesh met Garcia at a house party in 1959. In his 2005 memoir, he said he was led to that fortuitous encounter “as if by an unseen hand.”
They met again in 1964 when Lesh attended a performance by Garcia’s band the Warlocks. After the show, Garcia asked Lesh to join the band as a bassist. Lesh had never played the bass guitar before. When he told this to Garcia, the rocker asked, “Didn’t you used to play violin?” After Lesh said yes, Garcia responded, “There you go, man.”
In 1965, Lesh appeared onstage with the Warlocks for the first time. In addition to gaining a new member, the band also got a new name: the Grateful Dead.
Lesh was instrumental in creating Grateful Dead’s iconic sound and onstage gravitas. “When Phil’s happening the band’s happening,” Garcia once said of Lesh’s prowess.
The Grateful Dead fell apart in 1995 owing to Garcia’s death. “Jerry was the hub,” he told Rolling Stone. “We were the spokes. And the music was the tread on the wheel.”
Lesh continued to keep the Dead alive in a small way after Garcia’s death, occasionally performing with former band members. He also performed under the moniker Phil Lesh and Friends, bringing on a host of rock stars across generations to guest perform with him.
Lesh performed on a 2009 Grateful Dead tour and in a series of “Fare Thee Well” concerts celebrating Grateful Dead’s 50th anniversary in 2015.
Lesh had his share of medical troubles before he passed. He underwent a liver transplant in 1998 after being diagnosed with hepatitis C brought on by decades of drinking. He subsequently became a passionate organ-donor advocate. Lesh also beat bladder cancer and prostate cancer.
Lesh is survived by his wife, Jill, and his two sons, Brian and Grahame.