Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh dies, aged 84

Saturday, October 26, 2024 

On Friday, American musician and songwriter Phil Lesh died surrounded by loved ones. The former bassist and vocalist of rock band Grateful Dead was 84. His family announced his death via Instagram, with no cause given.

Phil Lesh, 2003.
Image: binkle_28. (Reuse terms.)

Lesh played bass guitar and sang with American psychedelic rock band the Grateful Dead for decades, and also wrote some of their songs, including the hit "Box of Rain", about the death of his father. He also had a long solo career, including his own Phil Lesh and Friends, various groups with fellow Dead alumni, and playing live with his children until months before his death.

Born Phillip Chapman Lesh on March 15, 1940, in Berkeley, California, Lesh began his music education at age 8 on violin and branches out to trumpet in his high school marching band. Lesh played in several bands and had a number of stints in college and met Jerry Garcia while performing at a nightclub. Garcia encouraged him to try bass guitar in order to join a nascent line-up of the Grateful Dead. Lesh's approach included jazz influences from his educational background. Lesh also provided vocals and songwriting to several songs.

The Dead broke up in 1995, following Garcia's death. Lesh continued to collaborate with several former Grateful Dead members in various line-ups, including The Other Ones, Furthur, and The Dead. He remained a staple of the San Francisco Bay Area music scene, regularly returning to his own Phil Lesh and Friends to tour, owning the live music venue Terrapin Crossroads from 2012 to 2021, and establishing the Sunday Daydreams festival in 2023.

Lesh is survived by his widow Jill and their sons Brian and Grahame.

See also

• "Poet, lyricist, and digital activist John Perry Barlow dies, aged 70"
• "Singer-songwriter Robert Hunter dies, aged 78"

Sources

• Isabella Gomez Sarmiento. "The Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh dies at 84" — NPR, October 25, 2024
• Dan Heching. "Grateful Dead bassist and founding member Phil Lesh has died at 84" — CNN, October 25, 2024
• Jim Farber. "Phil Lesh, Bassist Who Anchored the Grateful Dead, Dies at 84" — The New York Times, October 25, 2024
• Mirna Alsharif and Dennis Romero. "Phil Lesh, Grateful Dead bassist and founding member, dies at 84" — NBC News, October 25, 2024
• Richard Gehr. "Phil Lesh, Grateful Dead Co-Founder and Bassist, Dead at 84" — Rolling Stone, October 25, 2024

External links

• "Welcome" — Phil Lesh, October 25, 2024
• Bill Kreutzmann, Mickey Hart, and Bob Weird. "Remembering Phil" — Grateful Dead, October 25, 2024
• "Phil Lesh, bassist and founding member of The Grateful Dead, passed peacefully this morning. He was surrounded by his family and full of..." — Instagram, October 25, 2024