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Phil Lesh, a founding member of The Grateful Dead and the band’s bassist throughout their three-decade career, has died. He was 84.

The announcement was made in a statement on his official Instagram page on Friday (October 25). “Phil Lesh, bassist and founder of The Grateful Dead, passed away peacefully this morning. He was surrounded by his family and full of love,” the statement said.

“Phil brought tremendous 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.”

A cause of death was not immediately announced.

Philip Chapman Lesh was born on March 15, 1940 in Berkeley, California. He played violin in his youth before switching to trumpet while attending Berkeley High School, where he developed a fascination with avant-garde classical music and free jazz.

While studying at the University of California, Berkeley in 1961, Lesh befriended future Grateful Dead keyboardist Tom Constanten. A few years later, while volunteering at local radio station KPFA, Lesh befriended bluegrass banjoist Jerry Garcia. In 1964, Garcia convinced Lesh to become the bassist for his new rock band, then called The Warlocks, despite the fact that Lesh had never played bass before.

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Lesh’s unconventional approach to his instrument became a key element in defining the Grateful Dead’s influential sound. He is credited as co-writer of some of their best-known songs, including “Truckin’,” “Box of Rain,” and “Unbroken Chain.”

After the Grateful Dead broke up, Lesh continued to play with off-shoot groups such as The Other Ones and The Dead and with his own band, Phil Lesh and Friends.

In April 2005, Lesh published his memoirs In Search of the Sound: My Life with the Grateful Dead. The following year he announced that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, which he had to have removed a few months later. In October 2015, Lesh underwent another operation for bladder cancer.

In March of this year, Lesh celebrated his 84th birthday with a show at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, New York.

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Lesh married his wife Jill in 1984 and the couple had two children, Grahame and Brian.

Just two days ago, MusiCares, an organization that helps music professionals in need of financial, personal or medical assistance, announced that they were honoring Lesh, along with original Grateful Dead members Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann and Bobby Weir, as Persons of the Year 2025 for their philanthropic efforts.