Phil Lesh, founding member of Grateful Dead and influential bassist, has died at 84

Grateful Dead founding personnel Phil Lesh has died astatine property 84

LOS ANGELES -- Phil Lesh, a classically trained violinist and jazz trumpeter who recovered his existent calling reinventing nan domiciled of stone bass guitar arsenic a founding personnel of nan Grateful Dead, died Friday astatine property 84.

Lesh's decease was announced connected his Instagram account. Lesh was nan oldest and 1 of nan longest surviving members of nan set that came to specify nan acerb stone sound emanating from San Francisco successful nan 1960s.

“Phil Lesh, bassist and founding personnel of The Grateful Dead, passed peacefully this morning. He was surrounded by his family and afloat of love. Phil brought immense joyousness to everyone astir him and leaves down a bequest of euphony and love,” the Instagram statement sounds successful part.

The connection did not mention a circumstantial origin of decease and attempts to scope representatives for further specifications were not instantly successful. Lesh had antecedently survived bouts of prostate cancer, bladder crab and a 1998 liver transplant necessitated by nan debilitating effects of a hepatitis C infection and years of dense drinking.

Although he kept a comparatively debased nationalist profile, seldom granting interviews aliases speaking to nan audience, fans and chap set members recognized Lesh arsenic a captious personnel of nan Grateful Dead whose thundering lines connected nan six-string electrical bass provided a superb counterpoint to lead guitarist Jerry Garcia's soaring solos and anchored nan band's celebrated marathon jams.

"When Phil's happening nan band's happening," Garcia erstwhile said.

Drummer Mickey Hart called him nan group's intelligence who brought a classical composer's mind-set and skills to a five-chord stone ‘n’ rotation band.