Goodbye to Phil Lesh, founding member of the Grateful Dead

Phil Lesh, bassist and founding member of the Grateful Dead, has passed away at the age of 84: the announcement was made on the musician’s social networks with a short note, which does not specify the cause of death.
This is the text of the press release:

“Phil Lesh, bassist and founding member of the Grateful Dead, passed away peacefully this morning. He was surrounded by the love of his family. Phil brought immense joy to everyone around him and leaves behind a legacy of music and love We ask that you respect the Lesh family’s privacy at this time.”

Born in 1940 in Berkley, Lesh was part of the Grateful Dead from its beginnings until its end in ’95, with the death of Jerry Garcia. With a classical musical background, he co-signed several of the band’s classics such as “Box of rain”, for which he was also the lead singer (usually singing the harmonies).

After the band’s demise, he took part in several lineups with the other surviving members, including the band’s 50th anniversary reunion in 2015 with Trey Anastasio of Phish on vocals and guitar. All members except Lesh decided to carry on as Dead & Company, while the bassist carried on the group’s legacy mostly alone and by rallying other musicians around him under the “Phil Lesh & Friends” label, often using Terrapin as a base Crossroads, his place in Santa Fe, which closed in 2021.
Lesh had been ill with cancer several times and in 1998 he underwent a liver transplant.