“We can count on the fingers of one hand that the people we can say have had an equally profound influence on our development – ​​in every respect. And even fewer have done this continuously over the decades and will continue to do so as long as we live. What a gift he was to us. We won’t say he will be missed, because at any given time, nothing we do will be without the lessons he taught us – and the lessons yet to come, as the conversations continue.

Lesh died Friday at the age of 84; no cause of death was given. “He was surrounded by his family and full of love,” his family said in a statement. “Phil brought tremendous joy to everyone around him and leaves behind a legacy of music and love.”

After the death of Jerry Garcia (whose family also paid tribute to Lesh Friday) in 1995, the band made sure the music never stopped by morphing into various Dead-related entities, with Lesh participating in the Other Ones, Furthur, the Dead, and his own beloved Phil & Friends.

“Phil loved the Dead Heads and always kept them in his heart and mind. The point is… Phil was so much more than a virtuoso bassist, a composer, a family man, a cultural icon…,” the three remaining original members added on Friday.

“There will be a lot of tributes, and they will all say important things. But for us, we’ve spent a lifetime making music with Phil Lesh and the music says it all. So listen to the Grateful Dead and that way we’ll all take a little bit of Phil with us forever.