Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead dies at the age of 84

Phil Leshbassist for The grateful deadhe died this morning (October 25), it says statement on their official social media accounts. No cause of death was given, only that he “passed away peacefully” and that he was “surrounded by his family and full of love.” Lesz was 84 years old.

Philip Chapman Lesh was born and raised in Berkeley, California. In 1961, he enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley, where he studied music and composition under the supervision of the Italian composer Luciano Berio. He was also a classmate of Steve Reich at university.

In 1965, Lesh, a training bassist, joined Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan and Bill Kreutzmann in The Warlocks. On Saturday, December 4, 1965, they adopted a new name for one of Ken Kesey’s Acid Test parties in San Jose: They are the Grateful Dead.

The Grateful Dead released their first album, also self-titled Grateful Deadin March 1967, but were equally well known throughout the Bay Area for their long, relaxed shows. As the band’s recognition and notoriety grew, subsequent albums were released. Lesh did not play a starring role as a writer or singer on many songs, but he co-wrote the opening and closing songs in the 1970s. American beauty“Box of Rain” and “Trucking”. He also sang lead vocals on “Box of Rain”. As for “Truckin’,” Lesh once said, “We took our experiences on the road and made it into poetry… The final chorus defines the band itself.”

Lesh was a permanent member of the Grateful Dead until the band disbanded in 1995, after death Jerry Garcia. Soon he began performing in a changing lineup as Phil Lesh and Friends. However, he did not join his former bandmates in the revived band Dead & Company.

In the mid-2000s, Lesh wrote a book about his years with the Grateful Dead In search of sound. Around this time, the musician also revealed that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and eventually underwent surgery to cure it. Almost a decade later had bladder cancer surgery.