Phil Lesh dies at 84: Bandmates and musicians pay tribute to Grateful Dead bassist

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The surviving members of the Grateful Dead, as well as other musicians and fans, are paying tribute to Phil Lesh, one of the founding members of the band, who died Friday at the age of 84.

An innovative bass player whose jazz background strengthened his improvisational skills, Lesh helped found the Grateful Dead by befriending banjo player and guitarist Jerry Garcia and convincing him to do a recording for a folk music radio show he engineered.

As the musicians who would form the Grateful Dead coalesced in the Bay Area, the focus changed from jug band music to rock music. It was at Lesh's home they decided to change the name of the band from the Warlocks to the Grateful Dead.

"At first, I thought, Okay, we'll make it five years and then take the money and run. … It turned out to be life," Lesh is quoted as saying in "Playing in the Band: An Oral and Visual Portrait of the Grateful Dead" by David Gans and Peter Simon. "I remember saying to the guys, 'You know, this could be art!' And they laughed, because they knew already."

'A legacy of music and love': Phil Lesh, Grateful Dead bassist and founding member, dies

Bob Weir on the passing of Phil Lesh

Lesh, who also composed jazz and learned the bass guitar to join the Grateful Dead, turned the band onto the music of John Coltrane early in the band's formation.

From that, "I developed an approach to guitar playing based off of it. This happened because Phil turned me on to the Coltrane Quartet," fellow Grateful Dead co-founder Bob Weir posted on Instagram, Facebook and X.

"Early on, he also introduced me (and us) to the wonders of modern classical music, with its textures and developments, which we soon tried our hands at incorporating into what we had to offer," Weir posted. "This was all new to peoples’ ears. Igor Stravinsky’s work wasn’t news to me at that point, but what he did and how he did it were ongoing topics of discussion for Phil and I – and boy, did I ever grow."

"Our conversation and interaction will last, at very least, ‘til the end of my days," he wrote.

Drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart on Lesh's legacy

Bill Kreutzmann, the Grateful Dead's founding drummer, also credited Lesh, who first played violin and then trumpet as a teen, with his musical development, in a post on Instagram. "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 posted.

"Phil Lesh changed my life. There are only a few people you meet in your lifetime that are special, important, who help you grow spiritually as well as musically," said Mickey Hart, who joined the Grateful Dead in 1967 as a second drummer, in a statement posted on Instagram.

Lesh was "an improvisationalist" who "taught me, all of us," Hart wrote. "Phil was bigger than life, at the very center of the band and my ears, filling my brain with waves of bass. All those years we all rode the third rail together creating something that cannot be defined in words."

The official social accounts for Jerry Garcia, who died in 1995, remembered Lesh and how his "life’s work is a beacon for all of humanity and will continue to guide countless generations of musicians into the backbone of the beat. There are no words to fully express the impact he made with his music and his incredible mind."

Phish: Some memories of Phil Lesh

Trey Anastasio of Phish, who joined the Grateful Dead on guitar for the band's final shows in 2015 after Garcia's 1996 death, as a formative influence.

"He transformed how I thought about music as a teenager," Anastasio posted on Instagram. "I have countless memories of standing in awe, listening to his winding, eloquent bass lines blending seamlessly with Jerry and Bobby’s guitars, Brent Mydland’s keys, and the thunderous drums of Billy and Mickey. I’m so grateful for those beautiful memories."

Anastasio, who also occasionally joined Lesh in the bass player's Dead offshoot band Phil Lesh & Friends added, "When I first played with Phil in 1999, I discovered that beyond being an astounding musician, he was a truly kind and wonderful man. I cherish the memories of playing with him, sharing meals and laughs together, visiting his home, and getting to know him as a friend."

Lesh was "a profound influence on all of us," said Phish bass player Mike Gordon in a post on X. "The Grateful Dead were uniquely moving, and I always felt Phil’s contribution was at the pinnacle of that magic. Phil’s tone was both beautiful and unprecedented."

During discussions with Lesh, Gordon said the late musician expected the Grateful Dead's music would endure "for centuries," he posted. "I believe Phil’s contribution to that legacy will endure, inspiring generations to come. We’ll remember him, and his influence will live on in all of us."

At the band's performance Friday night in Albany, New York, Phish opened its concert by playing "Box of Rain," the best-known Grateful Dead song on which Lesh handled lead vocals. He co-wrote the song with lyricist Robert Hunter.

Phil Lesh and the Grateful Dead still being honored

The Kennedy Center, which has announced the Grateful Dead as among its Kennedy Center Honorees this year, posted on X, Facebook and Instagram that "for his experimental and unconventional style, Lesh will be remembered as a true musical pioneer."

The Grateful Dead is also being honored as 2025 MusiCares Persons of the Year in January 2025 at a ceremony scheduled to be held before the Grammys.

"As a legendary bassist and founding member of the Grateful Dead, Phil’s distinctive contributions to music, advocacy, and philanthropy leave an enduring impact," said MusiCares, which is the foundation arm of the Recording Academy, in a post on social media.

Fans were encouraged to listen to the Grateful Dead's music as an ongoing tribute to Lesh, in a note signed by Weir, Kreutzmann and Hart posted on The Grateful Dead official accounts on Facebook, X, and Instagram.

"In one note from the Phil Zone, you could hear and feel the world being born," the post reads. "His bass flowed like a river would flow. It went where the muse took it. He was an explorer of inner and outer space who just happened to play bass. He was a circumnavigator of formerly unknown musical worlds. And more."

Phil Lesh on Deadheads and the Grateful Dead's relevance

Lesh gave a nod to Deadheads in his introduction to the book "Playing in the Band," writing, "When the Grateful Dead is happening, it happens to everyone in attendance, band and audience. So in a sense, we're all playing in the band. I see it as a metaphor for humanity: Didn't Ben Franklin say something about hanging together or hanging separately? Grateful Dead is more than music, but has always been fundamentally music."

About the band's legacy, Lesh said he hoped the band's music inspired "a certain open-mindedness among musicians, a willingness to take risks, a willingness to experiment. A willingness to juxtapose disparate elements."

Contributing: Marco della Cava and Melissa Ruggieri.

Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mikegsnider.

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