Phil Lesh, founding bassist for US rock band the Grateful Dead, died Friday morning at 84, according to a post on his official Instagram account . Lesh’s cause of death was not immediately clear. “Phil Lesh, bassist and founding member of The Grateful Dead, passed peacefully this morning,” the social media post said.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today “He was surrounded by his family and full of love. “Phil brought immense joy to everyone around him and leaves behind a legacy of music and love. “We request that you respect the Lesh family’s privacy at this time.
” It was not clear who wrote the post. Lesh was born in Berkeley, California on March 15, 1940. Alongside Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Ron McKernan and Bill Kreutzmann, Lesh formed the Grateful Dead in Palo Alto in 1965, and the band had a devoted following known as “Deadheads”.
In addition to playing bass, Lesh also sang high harmonies for the band and provided the occasional lead vocal, according to the New York Times . He also co-wrote some of the band’s most noteworthy songs, including St. Stephen, Dark Star, Cumberland Blues, Truckin’ and Box of Rain, the Times reported.
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