Grateful Dead icon Phil Lesh has died aged 84.
The bassist and founding member of the rock band ‘passed peacefully’ on Friday, October 25 – a statement on his Instagram page confirmed.
The statement read: ‘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.’
His cause of death is currently unknown. He previously battled bladder cancer in 2015.
Grateful Dead icon Phil Lesh has died aged 84 – pictured 2019
The bassist and founding member of the rock band ‘passed peacefully’ on Friday, October 25 – a statement on his Instagram page confirmed
Lesh (second 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 – it went on to become one of the world’s most influential bands.
Starting out as a folk-infused quintet in psychedelic-era 1960s San Francisco, the Grateful Dead steadily morphed into a cultural phenomenon and one of the most successful touring acts of all time.
Fueled by the carnival atmosphere of its traveling Deadhead fanbase and an ethos that encouraged tape-trading and emphasized live performance over studio output, the Dead have spanned multiple generations and remain wildly popular. Lead guitarist and founding member Jerry Garcia died in 1995, but the band continues almost nonstop touring in multiple incarnations.
‘There´s a lot of ingredients that go into it,’ drummer Mickey Hart said, when asked about the music´s longevity. ‘The fans say that the shows feel like home. It gives them that feeling of connectiveness and community and joy and love for life and the 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.