Grateful Dead stars Bill Kreutzmann and Bob Weir have praised their former bandmate and “brother” Phil Lesh for changing their lives. The bassist, who was a founding member of the US rock band alongside Weir, Kreutzmann, Jerry Garcia and Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, died age 84 surrounded by his family on Friday. The group became know for its fusion of genres including rock, jazz and folk which contributed to the countercultural generation of the 1960s.
“Phil Lesh was my brother. Not by blood but still by family”, Kreutzmann wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of the pair from their younger days. “I’ve heard so many of you tell me that the Grateful Dead changed your life.
Yeah, well...
Phil Lesh changed mine. “Phil turned me onto John Coltrane. Back in the early days of our friendship, he wasn’t just like a brother to me – he was like an older brother.
A roommate. A bandmate. A mentor.
” He continued by reflecting on how lifelong friendships and family relationships are “complicated and dynamic” but will “ultimately stand the test of time”. “So keep only the good memories, for they are the only ones that matter. That’s what I’m going to do.
Because love is real, not fade away”, he added. “Thank you Phil. I’ll miss you, darn it.
” Weir posted a collection of photos of him performing with Lesh on stage over the years to Instagram as he also reflected on how his late bandmate influenced him to the John Coltrane Quartet. He revealed Lesh had.