Bob Weir, a founding member of the Grateful Dead whose rhythm guitar and vocals helped define the band’s sound for three decades, has died at 78.
Weir’s family said he died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, after previously beating cancer and later suffering complications from underlying lung issues. Diagnosed last July, he continued treatment while remaining active musically, returning to the stage weeks later for a three-night celebration marking 60 years of music in his hometown at Golden Gate Park.
Born in San Francisco, Weir was adopted and raised in Atherton, California. He played piano and trumpet before taking up guitar at 13. Struggling with undiagnosed dyslexia, he was expelled from multiple schools, including Fountain Valley School in Colorado, where he met future Grateful Dead lyricist John Perry Barlow. A chance encounter on New Year’s Eve 1963 at Dana Morgan’s Music Store in Palo Alto led to an all-night jam with Jerry Garcia. Their early collaboration evolved from McCree’s Uptown Jug Champions to the Warlocks, and finally to the Grateful Dead.
Weir remained with the band throughout its entire 30-year run, helping pioneer a communal, improvisational approach that reshaped American rock. Beyond the Dead, he founded or led several groups, including Kingfish, the Bob Weir Band, Bobby and the Midnites, Scaring the Children, RatDog and Furthur. After the Grateful Dead disbanded in 1995, he continued performing with former bandmates in projects such as the Other Ones and the Dead. In later years, he toured extensively with Dead & Company alongside former Dead members and guitarist John Mayer.
Weir also recorded a solo career spanning decades. His debut album, Ace (1972), became a cornerstone of his catalog, followed by Heaven Help the Fool in 1978. His final solo album, Blue Mountain (2016), featured contributions from members of The National.
Beyond music, Weir served on the board of the Rex Foundation, the Grateful Dead–founded nonprofit supporting community projects in the arts, sciences and education.
Source: Pitchfork