Phil Lesh, Grateful Dead Co-Founder, Dead at 84

Beginning with his role as a co-founder of the Grateful Dead and continuing through his work as that group’s bass player and beyond, Phil Lesh made a sizable impact on the last half-century of music, full stop. Now, Lesh’s decades-long run has reached its end; his official Instagram profile reported his death today at the age of 84.

“Phil Lesh, bassist and founding member of The Grateful Dead, passed peacefully this morning. He was surrounded by his family and full of love,” the message read. “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.”

His vast discography — both in terms of studio and live recordings — abounds with memorable moments. In a 2008 article on the Grateful Dead’s live recordings, Mark Richardson singled out Lesh’s work on a 1977 Cornell performance of the songs “Scarlet Begonias” and “Fire on the Mountain.” “The first half is driven by a loping Phil Lesh bassline that slides up a couple of octaves in a charming little jump every couple of bars,” Richardson wrote, offering a concise take on Lesh’s instrumental skills.

As news of Lesh’s death spread, other longtime listeners contributed their own remembrances of his life and legacy. Critic Jeff Weiss wrote that Lesh “could play the bass like a heartbeat or a tidal wave, searching for new but timeless sounds eternally.” Steven Hyden, meanwhile, observed that Lesh was “[o]ne of the all-time greatest bass players and just a true original in every possible way. Smuggled so much weirdness and originality into the heart of American culture.”

Other tributes included mention of a testimony from a longtime associate and collaborator of Lesh’s: Bob Dylan, who praised Lesh’s approach to music in his book The Philosophy of Modern Song. In that volume, Dylan called Lesh “[a] postmodern jazz musical rock and roll dynamo.”

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In his obituary for Lesh in the New York Times, Jim Farber pointed out that Lesh’s musical ventures outside of the Grateful Dead included several offshoot projects as well as Phil Lesh and Friends. That group released several acclaimed albums over the years, including 2002’s There and Back Again, which AllMusic’s William Ruhlmann called “the best album yet made by a Grateful Dead spinoff band.”

Lesh announced his retirement from touring in 2014, though he continued playing live in various configurations. As befits the founder of a group of influential as the Grateful Dead, his impact on modern music will continue to be felt for years to come.