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Famed Grateful Dead founder Bob Weir has died. He was 78.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Bobby Weir. He transitioned peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, after courageously beating cancer as only Bobby could,” a statement shared via Instagram on Saturday, January 10, read. “Unfortunately, he succumbed to underlying lung issues.”
The statement, signed by Weir’s daughter, Chloe Weir, continued. “For over sixty years, Bobby took to the road. A guitarist, vocalist, storyteller, and founding member of the Grateful Dead. Bobby will forever be a guiding force whose unique artistry reshaped American music. His work did more than fill rooms with music; it was warm sunlight that filled the soul, building a community, a language, and a feeling of family that generations of fans carry with them. Every chord he played, every word he sang was an integral part of the stories we wove. Tere was an invitation: to feel, to question, to wander, and to belong.”
The memorial post then shared insight into the musician’s “final months,” adding that the time “reflected the same spirit that defined” Bob’s life.
“Diagnosed in July, he began treatment only weeks before returning to his hometown stage for a three-night celebration of 60 years of music at Golden Gate Park,” the statement continued. “Those performances, emotional, soulful, and full of light, were not farewells, but gifts. Another act of resilience. An artist choosing, even then, to keep going by his own design. As we remember Bobby, it’s hard not to feel the echo of the way he lived. A man driftin’ and dreaming’, never worrying if the road would lead him home. A child of countless trees. A child of boundless seas.”
The statement added, “There is no final curtain here, not really. Only the sense of someone setting off again. He often spoke of a three-hundred-year legacy, determined to ensure the songbook would endure long after him. May that dream live on through future generations of Dead Heads. And so we send him off the way he sent so many of us on our way: with a farewell that isn’t an ending, but a blessing. A reward for a life worth living.’”
Bob Weir Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
The musician is survived by his wife, Natascha, and their children, Monet and Chloe.
Weir was raised by his adopted parents Frederick Weir and Eleanor Weir after he was given up at birth by a student at the University of Arizona. After the death of his adopted parents, and running away to famously form The Grateful Dead, Weir connected with his biological parents, Phyllis Inskeep and John Parper, later meeting several of his half-brothers, including guitarist Anthony Parber.
At just 16 years old, Weir met Jerry Garcia and the two played music all night, eventually deciding to form The Grateful Dead alongside Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, Phil Lesh and Bill Kerutzmann.
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The group released 13 studio albums during Weir’s time with the group, creating a devoted fanbase referred to as Dead Heads.
The band officially ended in 1995 following Garcia’s death, though Weir continued to play music with The Other Ones and The Dead alongside many of his Grateful Dead members. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.
“His loving family, Natascha, Money, and Chloe, request privacy during this difficult time and offer their gratitude for the outpouring of love, support and remembrance,” the statement concluded on Saturday. “May we honor him not only in sorrow, but in how bravely we continue with open hearts, steady steps, and the music leading us home. Hang it up and see what tomorrow brings.”
