Phil Lesh, founding member of the Grateful Dead, dies at 84-Brooke Ivey Johnson-Entertainment – Metro

Phil Lesh has died at 84 years old (Picture: Astrida Valigorsky/Getty Images)

Phil Lesh, iconic bass player and founding member of the Grateful Dead, has died at age 84.

He founded the band alongside Jerry Garcia (lead guitar and vocals), Bob Weir (rhythm guitar and vocals), Ron ‘Pigpen’ McKernan (keyboards, harmonica, and vocals), and Bill Kreutzmann (drums) in 1965 in California.

The news was announced on Phil’s Instagram page, with a caption that read: ‘Phil Lesh, bassist and founding member of The Grateful Dead, passed peacefully this morning.

‘He was surrounded by his family and full of love.

‘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.’

Phil played bass for the iconic band throughout their groundbreaking three decade run.

Phil Lesh was one of the founding members of the iconic band (Picture: AP)

With the exception of McKernan, who died in 1973, and Hart, who left the band from 1971 to 1974, the founding members of the band remained together throughout their entire career.

Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995 put an end to The Grateful Dead, but the surviving members continued to perform for years afterwards in various iterations.

This is a breaking news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.

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