Phil Lesh, the Grateful Dead’s influential bassist who helmed many of the jam band’s touring incarnations after Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995, has died. He was 84.

Lesh’s death was announced on his Instagram page. “Phil Lesh, bassist and founding member of The Grateful Dead, passed away peacefully this morning,” the caption reads. “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 ask that you respect the privacy of the Lesh family at this time.”

Born on March 15, 1940 in Berkeley, California, Lesh studied classical music throughout his childhood. He was a trained trumpeter, studied with the avant-garde composer Luciano Berio and played with the minimalist composer Steve Reich. He switched to bass – an instrument he had never played before – in 1965 after being recruited by the Warlocks, a band led by his friend Garcia, for a gig at a pizzeria in Menlo Park, California.

“I was so excited I didn’t have to think about it… but I knew something great was happening, something bigger than everyone, certainly bigger than me,” Lesh told the publicist and official historian of The Dead, Dennis McNally for the 2002 book. A Long, Strange Journey, according to Variety.

Lesh’s mark was crucial to the Grateful Dead’s early sound, often credited along with Garcia. He co-authored a number of compositions, including St Stephen, The Eleven and Dark Star, which became an important part of the jam band’s repertoire. Between 1967 and 1990, Lesh appeared on all 13 of the Grateful Dead’s studio releases and 10 official live albums. Along with Garcia, guitarist Bob Weir and drummer Bill Kreutzmann, Lesh remained an essential part of the improv band’s touring lineup for thirty years.

After Garcia’s death in 1995 at the age of 53, Lesh was a staple of the band’s later touring arrangements, including The Other Ones (1998–1999), the Dead (2003–2004, 2008–2009) and Furthur (2009– 2013). . He was in the band’s latest incarnation, Dead & Company, fronted by John Mayer.

Along with the other members of the Grateful Dead, Lesh was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. He is survived by his wife Jill and their sons Grahame and Brian, both of whom performed with the Terrapin Family Band. , Lesh’s band later in life was formed through his family-run music venue and restaurant in San Rafael, California.