Phil Lesh Dies: Grateful Dead Bassist Was 84

Phil Lesh, the bassist and founding member of the ultimate San Francisco jam band The Grateful Dead, died today. He was 84.

His death was announced on his official Instagram page.

“Phil Lesh, bassist and founding member of The Grateful Dead, passed peacefully this morning,” the Instagram statement reads. “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.”

Born Philip Chapman Lesh on March 15, 1940, in Berkeley, California, Lesh played the bass for the Dead from the band’s launching in 1965 through its break-up in 1995. He continued playing and touring with his own project, Phil Lesh and Friends, and in 2009 embarked on a five-year musical venture called Furthur with his former Dead bandmate Bob Weir.

Though Lesh hadn’t been touring as exhaustively in recent years, he continued to perform with family members as late as this year.

MORE TO COME…