Phil Lesh, bassist for the Grateful Dead, died the morning of October 25, according to a statement on his official social media accounts. A cause of death was not shared, just that he “passed peacefully” and that he “was surrounded by his family and full of love.” Lesh was 84 years old.
Lesh's death comes right after the Grateful Dead were chosen to receive the 2025 MusiCares Persons of the Year award. MusiCares' executive director, Laura Segura, said: "MusiCares mourns the loss of Phil Lesh. As a legendary bassist and founding member of the Grateful Dead, Phil’s distinctive contributions to music, advocacy, and philanthropy leave an enduring impact. Phil will be reverently honored with his Grateful Dead bandmates as our 2025 Persons of the Year, commemorating their journey that transcends music and fosters a profound sense of unity and generosity. This tribute stands as a testament to Phil’s remarkable legacy, commitment to creating community, and unwavering dedication to causes close to his heart, including his Unbroken Chain Foundation and MusiCares. Phil will be deeply missed, and our thoughts are with his loved ones and the Grateful Dead community."
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Philip Chapman Lesh was born and raised in Berkeley, California. He enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1961, where he studied music and composition under the Italian composer Luciano Berio. He was also a classmate of Steve Reich. In 1965, Lesh, a bassist-in-training, joined Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, and Bill Kreutzmann in a band called the Warlocks. On December 4, 1965, they adopted a new name for one of Ken Kesey’s Acid Test parties in San Jose: the Grateful Dead.
Grateful Dead released their debut self-titled album in March 1967, but they were just as well-known across the Bay Area for their long, freeform concerts. More albums followed as the band’s acclaim and notoriety grew. Lesh did not take the lead as a writer or a singer on many songs, but he did co-write the opening and closing tracks on 1970’s American Beauty, “Box of Rain” and “Truckin’.” He also sang the lead vocals on “Box of Rain.”
Lesh was a fixture with the Grateful Dead until the band’s dissolution in 1995, following the death of Jerry Garcia. He soon began performing with a rotating lineup of members as Phil Lesh and Friends. He did not, however, join his former bandmates in the revival act Dead & Company.
In the mid-2000s, Lesh wrote about his years with the Grateful Dead in the book Searching for the Sound. Around that time, the musician revealed he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, ultimately having surgery to treat it. A decade later, he had bladder cancer surgery.
Members of the Grateful Dead released a joint statement mourning the loss of Lesh. Part of the statement reads, "Today we lost a brother. Our hearts and love go out to Jill Lesh, Brian and Grahame. Phil Lesh was irreplaceable. In one note from the Phil Zone, you could hear and feel the world being born. His bass flowed like a river would flow. It went where the muse took it. He was an explorer of inner and outer space who just happened to play bass. He was a circumnavigator of formerly unknown musical worlds. And more."
Grateful Dead will be honored by MusiCares on January 31, 2025. Before that, they will be included in the 47th class of the Kennedy Center Honorees, alongside Bonnie Raitt, Arturo Sandoval, and Francis Ford Coppola.
Read Grateful Dead's full joint statement about Phil Lesh below.
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Article Image: Portrait of Phil Lesh of The Grateful Dead at a 2013 event. (SaltyBoatr [CC BY SA 3.0] via Wikimedia Commons)
