Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead dies at 84

Awful news: Grateful Dead co-founder Phil Lesh has died at age 84. A post on his Instagram reads: “Phil Lesh, bassist and founding member of The Grateful Dead, passed peacefully this morning. 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.” No cause of death has been reported at this time.

Phil was born in Berkeley, California on March 15, 1940 and played violin and trumpet during his grade school years. It wasn’t until meeting Jerry Garcia in the early 1960s that Jerry asked him to join his band The Warlocks and pick up an instrument he’d never played before, the bass. After building up a local following, the band changed their name to the Grateful Dead in 1965, and even before they released their 1967 self-titled debut album, they began to earn their reputation as an unpredictable, must-see live band that continued through the rest of their career and lives on through countless live recordings and multiple offshoot bands.

Phil wrote or co-wrote and sung lead on a few classic Dead songs, including “Box of Rain,” “Unbroken Chain,” and “Pride of Cucamonga,” and he co-wrote other classics like “St. Stephen,” “Truckin,'” and “Cumberland Blues.” And just as crucial as his occasional lead vocals were his contributions to the band’s iconic harmonies. Phil never sang as often as Jerry or Bob Weir, but he’s always had his diehard fans, which led to the now-famous “Let Phil sing!” chants at shows, t-shirts, and bumper stickers. As a bassist, Phil was always an innovator. When he came in at #11 on Rolling Stone‘s list of the 50 greatest bassists of all time, RS wrote, “His idea — ‘play bass and lead at the same time,’ his notes darting in and around the melody — became as recognizable a part of the Dead’s sound as Garcia’s guitar.”

The Grateful Dead broke up in 1995 after Jerry’s death, and Phil and his bandmates formed multiple offshoot bands over the years. In more recent years, he led his own bands Phil Lesh and Friends and the Terrapin Family Band. Recent years also saw Phil team back up with former bandmates Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, and Bill Kreutzmann for the Fare Thee Well shows in 2015, and though the four of them kept their promise to never play together again after that, other iterations popped up, like when Phil and Bobby did a duo tour in 2018. Throughout it all, Phil kept the spirit of those legendary Grateful Dead shows alive.

Rest in peace, Phil. Say hi to Jerry, Pigpen, Keith, Brent, and Vince for us.

Update: Surviving Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, and Bill Kreutzmann have penned a lengthy tribute to Phil. Read that here.

Phish also paid tribute to Phil by opening tonight’s (10/25) Albany show with “Box of Rain,” and Trey Anastasio also penned a lengthy tribute. Watch video of the cover and read what Trey had to say here.

See more tributes below, including from the Dead’s old friends Jefferson Airplane and The Allman Brothers Band, Public Enemy’s Chuck D, the Empire State Building, and more.

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