Phil Lesh, the guitarist and founding member of the Grateful Dead, died Friday, the producer who worked with him, Peter Shapiro, confirmed to CBS News. Leech was 84 years old.
He said in a post on his Instagram account that Lesh “passed peacefully this morning.”
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“He was surrounded by his family and full of love. Phil brought tremendous joy to everyone around him and leaves behind a legacy of music and love. We ask that you respect the Lesh family’s privacy at this time,” the post said.
Who are the original members of the Grateful Dead?
One of America’s most enduring bands, the Grateful Dead formed as a quintet in California in 1965, according to their official website. Jerry Garcia, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann and Phil Lesh make up the original band members. They signed to Warner Brothers in late 1966, and released their self-titled debut later that spring.
The band continued to tour over the next half-decade – an era that the band said was their most creatively fertile. Some members left, others died, and others were added, but the original magic of Phil Lesh and Jerry Garcia remained intact through some of their most turbulent years. Garcia died in 1995.
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The Grateful Dead toured extensively and were known for their live shows and ability to jam, amassing legions of fans around the world. In 2007, the band received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy.
The band broke the record for Top 40 albums to chart on the Billboard 200 in 2024. Although the band disbanded in 1995 after the death of singer Jerry Garcia, the popularity of its archival albums propelled the music into the Top 40. Forty-one of the band’s 59 Top 40 appearances have occurred since then . 2012.
What did Phil Lesh do after The Grateful Dead broke up?
After his years with the Dead, Lesh started a rock/jazz band called Phil and Friends, and toured extensively with the band until August 2024, according to their Facebook page.
The Grateful Dead’s website said that Lesh, who grew up in an eastern suburb of San Francisco, began his musical studies on the classical violin before turning to compositions. He was married to his wife, Jill, for more than 20 years and they have two sons.
