Grateful Dead founding member Phil Lesh dies aged 84

A founding member of one of the world’s most beloved rock bands has died “surrounded by his family and full of love.”

Phil Lesh, one of the founding members of the rock band Grateful Dead, has died. He was 84.

“Phil Lesh, bassist and founding member of Grateful Dead, passed peacefully this morning,” an announcement shared on the late musician’s Instagram read.

“He was surrounded by his family and full of love.”

The post, which featured a photo of Lesh playing his bass onstage, honoured him for bringing “immense joy to everyone around him and leaves behind a legacy of music and love.”

The tribute concluded, “We request that you respect the Lesh family’s privacy at this time.”

An official cause of death has not been revealed at this time, and his rep did not immediately return Page Six’s request for comment.

However, Lesh shared in 2015 that he had been diagnosed with bladder cancer.

The Grateful Dead, L-R: Mickey Hart with Phil Lesh, Jerry Garcia, Brent Mydland, Bill Kreutzmann and Bob Weir.

He said via a Facebook post at the time that he felt “very fortunate” that his pathology reports showed his tumours were “non-aggressive” and that there had been no indication that the cancer spread.

The rocker shared he had been seeking treatment for two weeks at the Mayo Clinic inArizona, and would eventually be undergoing surgery to remove the tumours.

He also previously survived prostate cancer and had a liver transplant in 1998 due to the debilitating effects of a hepatitis C infection and years of heavy drinking.

Since the announcement of Lesh’s death, several friends and fans have posted tributes online.

One person commented on Instagram, “Thank you Phil. Say hi to Jerry for me,” referencing the late Grateful Dead lead guitarist and vocalist Jerry Garcia, who died of a heart attack in 1995.

Lesh and wife Jill Lesh at the 2007 Grammy Awards. Picture: AFP

Lesh had been battling cancer in recent years. Picture: Cory Schwartz/Getty

Journalist Ron Lieber added, “A joker, a prankster, a thunder-bomb thrower, a rainmaker, a box builder, a headband wearer, a rocker of tie-dyes, a weaver of chains, broken and unbroken, already on the four winds and probably safely home at that. His memory is a blessing.”

Lesh co-founded Grateful Dead in 1965 along with Garcia, vocalist and guitarist Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, and keyboard and harmonica player Bob Weir and drummer Bill Kreutzmann.

The group was known for infusing elements of rock, blues, jazz, folk, psychedelic and other genres into their music. Their devoted fandom is known as the “Deadheads.”

After Garcia died, other iterations of the band were formed, including Dead & Company, which played their final show in July 2023.

However, Lesh wasn’t part of that band and instead toured with Phil Lesh and Friends alongside a rotating group of musicians from 1998 to 2000. He also played with the Phil Lesh Quartet from 2000 to 2003.

In 1994, Lesh and other Grateful Dead members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

This story originally appeared on Page Six and is republished here with permission.

Originally published as Grateful Dead founding member Phil Lesh dies aged 84