Bassist and founding member of the psychedelic rock band Grateful Dead, Phil Lesh, passed away at 84 on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. He worked with Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Ron McKernan and Bill Kreutzmann to create Grateful Dead, with whom he played bass guitar for the band’s entire career and later created his own side and solo projects.
His Instagram account stated that he passed peacefully, and the announcement did not state a direct cause of death at the time. Even so, Lesh had experienced health problems over the years, suffering from Hepatitis C, prostate and bladder cancer and back issues.
Born on March 15, 1940, and raised in Berkley, California, Lesh was musically inclined from a young age. Throughout his youth, he studied various instruments, was a member of multiple jazz and avant-garde bands and intended to become a composer one day. While working as a recording engineer at a radio station during his college years, he met Garcia. They became friends, ultimately leading to Garcia inviting Lesh to be the bassist for his new project. As a new bass player, Lesh learned as he went along; he was sonically influenced by Jack Casady of Jefferson Airplane, Jack Bruce of Cream and even elements of classical composer Johann Sebastian Bach. In 1994, Lesh was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his work and time with Grateful Dead.
Since Grateful Dead disbanded, he has spent much of his time working on other creative endeavors and giving his artistry his all. One of his main projects was his band, Phil Lesh and Friends, which featured a rotating group of artists with whom he frequently performed. He also formed a band called Further between 2009 and 2014 with former bandmate Weir.
While he did not join all of the reunion shows for Grateful Dead, there were a few tours in which he participated and enjoyed playing with his bandmates again. In addition, in 2005, he published an autobiography entitled “Searching for the Sound: My Life with the Grateful Dead.” He also owned and operated a music venue in San Rafael, California, called Terrapin Crossroads, from 2012 to 2021. Even after he stopped touring 10 years ago, he continued to be immersed in the music scene, often performing in shows at his venue as they did not require the travel and level of energy of a full tour.
A statement on Grateful Dead’s official Instagram page was made in Lesh’s memory. It read, “Today we lost a brother,” and “Phil Lesh was irreplaceable.” Kreutzmann stated in his own Instagram post, “Thank you Phil. I’ll miss you, darn it.” Numerous other artists who knew or worked with him over the years also took to social media in the days after his passing to honor his memory.
In 1984, Lesh married Jill Johnstone. They had two children during their time together, both of whom went on to have careers of their own in the music business. Lesh also enjoyed giving back to his community, as he and his wife managed a charity organization, The Unbroken Chain Foundation, and performed in a few benefit concerts over the years.
