Bob Weir, a founding member of the iconic American rock group the Grateful Dead who seemingly never stopped touring for six decades, has died, according to a statement posted to his official website.
The guitarist, vocalist and storyteller “courageously” beat cancer after being diagnosed in July, the statement said. He passed away “peacefully” and surrounded by loved ones after succumbing to underlying lung issues, the statement added.
Weir, the youngest member of the rock, folk and blues-influenced band that dominated the jam scene for years, performed as recently as this past summer when the remaining members of the Dead reunited for concerts at Golden State Park in San Francisco to celebrate the band’s 60th anniversary. He began cancer treatment just weeks before those summer concerts, the statement said.
He wrote or co-wrote iconic songs like Sugar Magnolia, Truckin’, Cassidy and Throwing Stones.
“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 he wove. There was an invitation: to feel, to question, to wander, and to belong,” the announcement noted.
Weir is survived by his wife Natasha and his daughter Monet and Chloe.
