Grateful Dead fans pay tribute as Phil Lesh, founding member and bassist, dies at 84
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Grateful Dead founding member Phil Lesh died on Friday, October 25, as per an announcement on his Instagram account.
The 84-year-old was a classically trained violinist and jazz trumpeter. However, he reached the height of fame when he reinvented the role of rock bass guitar as the bassist of Grateful Dead, a psychedelic band formed in California in 1965.
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The announcement of Phil Lesh's death
The statement on Instagram announcing the heartbreaking news read, "Phil Lesh, bassist and founding member of The Grateful Dead, passed peacefully this morning. He was surrounded by his family and full of love."
It added, "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."
No specific cause of death was mentioned in the announcement. Lesh had previously suffered from prostate and bladder cancer, reported HuffPost. He also received a liver transplant in 1998 as a result of heavy drinking and a hepatitis C infection.
The musician is survived by his wife, Jill Lesh, and their two sons, Grahame Lesh and Brian Lesh.
Phil Lesh's contribution to Grateful Dead
Phil Lesh was the oldest and one of the longest-surviving members of the Grateful Dead. He provided the perfect counterpoint to lead guitarist Jerry Garcia's soaring solos.
Playing the six-string electric bass, Lesh anchored his band's marathon jams, leading Garcia to state, "When Phil’s happening the band’s happening."
Garcia taught him to play bass in the lead-guitar style, claimed Lesh. The unorthodox method earned him his fame as he mixed thundering arpeggios with orchestral passages composed on the spot.
He was regarded as the group’s intellectual by drummer Mickey Hart, who thought that he brought a classical composer's mindset and skills to their performance.
Fellow bassist Rob Wasserman considered Lesh unique in the fact that he was both confidant and good enough to lead his fellow musicians, unlike most other bass players who were content with keeping time and taking the occasional solo.
"He happens to play bass but he’s more like a horn player, doing all those arpeggios — and he has that counterpoint going all the time," said Wasserman.
Following the Grateful Death disbandment in 1995, Lesh continued to play with its offshoot the Other Ones, the Dead, and Furthur, as well as with his own band, Phil Lesh and Friends.
Lesh began training as a classical violinist in the third grade and took up the trumpet at 14. He earned the second chair in California’s Oakland Symphony Orchestra while still in his teens.
Fans bid adieu to Phil Lesh
Fans shared their farewell message for Phil Lesh, commenting on the Instagram post announcing his death.
One wrote, "Such a long long time to be gone and such a short time to be there."
Another shared, "A joker, a prankster, a thunder-bomb thrower, a rainmaker, a box builder, a headband wearer, a rocker of tie-dyes, a weaver of chains, broken and unbroken, already on the four winds and probably safely home at that. His memory is a blessing."
"May the four winds blow you safely home, Phil. Thanks for helping write the soundtrack to my life," expressed a person, while one more fan added, "Sleep in the stars Phil. We love you."
"Like an Angel, standing in a shaft of light, rising up to paradise 🥺😓💔Rest in Peace legend," wrote one more.
An individual commented, "Mourning the man. Celebrating the music. I've spent 45 years of my life as a Deadhead. Losing Phil is like losing family."
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