The two surviving members of original Grateful Dead -- Bob Weir and Bill Kreutzmann -- along with longtime drummer Mickey Hart, and occasional honorary member Bruce Hornsby have paid tribute to their bassist Phil Lesh who died this Friday.
Weir, Kreutzmann and Hart issued a lengthy joint statement, in part saying, "We can count on the fingers of one hand the people we can say had as profound an influence on our development - in every sense. And there have been even less people who did so continuously over the decades and will continue to for as long as we live. What a gift he was for us. We won’t say he will be missed, as in any given moment, nothing we do will be without the lessons he taught us - and the lessons that are yet to come, as the conversations will go on..."
The three also issued their own statements, with Weir saying, "Our conversation and interaction will last, at very least, ‘til the end of my days.
"The Muse gives us the people and tools to work with. Where we go with that work emerges from somewhere between our intuition and her inspiration. It’s a process always cloaked deep in Mystery, and at its best, the Mystery is forever lasting after its rendering. *Look out of any window…* has that ring to it.
"Meanwhile, given that death is the last and best reward for a life 'well and fully lived', I rejoice in his liberation..."
Kreutzmann says, "Phil Lesh was my brother. Not by blood but still by family. I’ve heard so many of you tell me that the Grateful Dead changed your life. Yeah, well… Phil Lesh changed mine."
Hart also issued a statement, saying, "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... 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... He had wisdom, was older and showed us the way. Later he became first and foremost a family man... There is no one who loved his wife and sons more than Phil and no one was more dedicated to the Grateful Dead. His sound is indelibly embedded in my mind as is Jerry’s [Garcia] sound…and always will be."
And Bruce Hornsby, who played in the band on and off from 1988 to '95, says, "Phil Lesh was a complete original, with his own unique way of making the bass an equal member of any spontaneous, improvisatory musical conversation. He combined that open-minded conception with a regular mischievous glint in his eye, always ready for tonal (or atonal) adventure. We will all miss him dearly."
Also paying tribute is Warren Haynes, an occasional member of Phil Lesh and Friends. He says, "Phil has been a bit of a 'north star' to so many fans and musicians alike and the impact of his loss will be a heavy one. I remember when my soulmate Allen Woody died — Phil was one of the first people to call me and I’ll never forget what he said: 'I’m so sorry. I know what it’s like to lose someone with which you have a profound musical relationship.' Yes he did. And now I’ve lost another one. Thank you Phil."
John Mayer, a Dead family member as the guitarist in Dead and Company, writes, "Joining the choir of voices to express my sadness in the passing of the great Phil Lesh. Phil had an open door policy when it came to the music, and gave so openly to so many musicians. He played bass in a singular way, climbing up and down the arrangements to give the songs and the players around him the feeling of flight. My heart aches for Bob, Mickey, Billy, everyone’s families, the countless musicians and millions of lovers of Grateful Dead music.
On Friday night, New York's Empire State Building was lit up in tie-dye in honor of Lesh, and in Albany, the state capitol, Phish opened their show with "Box of Rain," while members Try Anastasio and Mike Gordon paid tribute to him on their socials.
Phil Lesh was 84. The cause of death is not known, but he did reveal in 2015 that he had bladder cancer. His death came a day after it was announced that the Grateful Dead would be honored as Musicares person of the year.
Check out the original post about it here from the Grateful Dead's official Instagram account.
Check out the original post about it here from Bob Weir's official Instgram account.
Check out the original post about it here from Bill Kreutzmann's official X account.
Check out the original post about it here from Mickey Hart's official Instagram account.
And, check out John Mayer's original post about it here from his official X.