The famous founder of the Grateful Dead Bob Weir has died He was 78 years old.
“It is with deep sadness that we share the death of Bobby Weir. He transitioned peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, after courageously beating cancer as only Bobby could,” in a statement. shared via Instagram on Saturday January 10, read. “Unfortunately, he succumbed to underlying lung problems.”
The statement, signed by Weir’s daughter, Chloe Weirhe continued “For more than sixty years, Bobby led the way. Guitarist, vocalist, storyteller, and founding member of the Grateful Dead. Bobby will forever be a guiding force whose unique artistry reshaped American music. His work did more than fill music halls; it was warm sunlight that filled the soul, building a community, a language, and a sense of family that generations sang, every word the fans sang along with. the stories we wove, Tere was an invitation: to feel, to question, to wander and to belong.
The memorial post then shared a glimpse of the musician’s “final months,” adding that the time “reflected the same spirit that defined” Bob’s life.
Astrida Valigorsky/Getty Images Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh died on Friday, October 25 at the age of 84. Lesh’s team confirmed his death via their official Instagram page, sharing that the musician “passed peacefully this morning.” “He was surrounded by his family and full of love,” the statement said. “Phil brought immense joy to (…)
“Diagnosed in July, he began treatment just weeks before returning to his hometown stage for a three-night celebration of 60 years of music in Golden Gate Park,” the statement continued. “Those performances, emotional, soulful, and full of light, were not farewells, but gifts. Another act of resilience. An artist who, even then, chose to carry on with his own design. As we remember Bobby, it’s hard not to feel the echo of the way he lived. A man drifting and dreaming, never worrying if a homeless child would lead him homeless.”
The statement added: “There is no final curtain here, not really. Just the feeling that someone is leaving again. He often spoke of a three-hundred-year legacy, determined to make sure that the songbook would live on long after him. May that dream continue through future generations of Dead Heads. And so we send him off the way he sent so many of us on our way: with a goodbye, but an end of life is worth living’”.
Bob Weir
Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty ImagesThe musician is survived by his wife, Natascha, and children, Monet and Chloe.
Weir was raised by his adoptive parents Frederick Weir i Eleanor Weir after a University of Arizona student abandoned him at birth. After the death of his adoptive parents and running away to form the famous The Grateful Dead, Weir connected with his biological parents, Phyllis Inskeep i John Parperlater meeting several of his half-brothers, including the guitarist Anthony Parber.
At just 16 years old, Weir met Jerry Garcia and the two played music all night, eventually deciding to form The Grateful Dead on the side Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, Phil Lesh i Bill Kerutzmann.
John Mayer is mourning the loss of Grateful Dead’s Phil Lesh. “Joining the chorus of voices to express my sadness at the passing of the great @phillesh,” Mayer, 47, wrote via Instagram on Saturday, October 26, alongside a photo of the two musicians playing together as part of Lesh’s Phil Lesh & Friends project, (…)
The group released 13 studio albums during Weir’s time with the group, creating a devoted fan base called the Dead Heads.
The band officially ended in 1995 after Garcia’s death, although Weir continued to play music with The Other Ones and The Dead alongside many of his Grateful Dead members. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.
“His loving family, Natascha, Money and Chloe, ask for privacy during this difficult time and offer their gratitude for the outpouring of love, support and remembrance,” the statement concluded on Saturday. “May we honor him not only with pain, but with the courage to carry on with open hearts, steady steps and music that leads us home. Hang in there and see what tomorrow brings.”