Grateful dead members pay tribute to Phil Lesh after his death: ‘We lost a brother’

Surviving band members Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann posted a moving message on Instagram on October 25

The Grateful Dead pays tribute to ‘brother’ Phil Lesh.

The bassist, 84, died “peacefully” on the morning of Friday, October 25, according to a statement on his verified Instagram account.

Later that same day, his surviving Grateful Dead bandmates – Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann – posted a heartfelt message on Instagram about their late friend’s musical prowess and influence on them.

“Today we lost a brother. Our hearts and love go out to Jill Lesh, Brian and Grahame. Phil Lesh was irreplaceable,” they began, referring to Lesh’s wife and children, of whom he is survived.

“In one note from the Phil Zone you could hear and feel how the world was born. His bass flowed like a river would flow. It went where the muse took it. He was an explorer of indoor and outdoor space who happened to play bass. He was a explorer of previously unknown musical worlds. And much more,” the statement continued.

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Lesh’s bandmates added that they could “count on the fingers of one hand that the people we can say had an equally profound influence on our development – ​​in every way.”

They said that “there have been even fewer people who have done this continuously over the decades and will continue to do so as long as we live. What a gift he was to us.”

“We won’t say he will be missed, because at any given time, nothing we do will be without the lessons he taught us – and the lessons yet to come, as the conversations continue.”

Lesh, born in Berkeley, California, first met his future bandmate Jerry Garcia in 1962at a party in Menlo Park. A few years later, in 1965, Lesh, Garcia, Kreutzmann, Weir and Ron “Pigpen” McKernan played their first gig under the name The Warlocks.

However, by the end of the same year, the band had become known as The Grateful Dead. From there, they began playing the local circuit throughout California, releasing 13 studio albums together, as well as dozens of live albums. Hart joined the band in 1967 as drummer.

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Mckernan died in 1973 and the group gained several additional members over the years, including keyboardist Brent Mydland. They eventually split in 1995 after Garcia’s death that year at the age of 53. Lesh later formed his own group, Phil Lesh and Friends, among other musical ventures. Kreutzmann, Weir and Hart continued to form Death and company of Johannes MayerOteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti, with Jay Lane replacing Kreutzmann on drums in 2023.

The Grateful Dead’s Oct. 25 statement further detailed how Lesh loved the “Dead Heads” — the term for the band’s fans — and that he “always kept them in his heart and mind.”

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“The point is…Phil was so much more than a virtuoso bassist, a composer, a family man, a cultural icon…” they continued. “There’ll be a lot of tributes, and they’ll all say important things. But for us, we’ve spent a lifetime making music with Phil Lesh and the music has a way of saying it all. So listen to the Grateful Dead and Take That Way We all carry a little bit of Phil with us, forever.”

“Cause this is all a dream we dreamed one afternoon long ago,” they closed the tribute, referencing their song “Box of Rain” from the 1970 album. American beautybefore signing off: “Mickey, Billy and Bobby.”

The post also included a series of photos of Lesh performing over the years, as the band shared their statement their Instagram stories again in the form of a letter surrounded by a border of red roses, with Lesh’s name and his dates of birth and death at the top.

The statement announcing Lesh’s death did not give a cause of death, but noted that “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 privacy of the Lesh family at this time,” the statement continued.

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