Grateful Dead founder dies at 84

Phil Lesh, bassist and founding member of US band The Grateful Dead, has died aged 84.

The singer’s official Instagram account said he “passed peacefully this morning”. He was surrounded by his family.

The psychedelic group, formed in California in 1965, broke up 30 years later following the death of frontman Jerry Garcia.

Lesh was with them from the beginning – he rejoined the surviving band members for a reunion US tour in 2003 and a series of final concerts in 2015.

Lesh’s Instagram account said he “brought so much 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.”

With a unique trippy blend of rock, folk, and jazz, the Grateful Dead is arguably one of the most influential bands in American history, and wrote a song for the counterculture generation of the sixties.

The bassist was an original member of the band alongside Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzman and Ron “Pigpen” McKernan.

He was best known for the song Unbroken Chain, which spoke about the band’s connection with its audience.

Lesh also sang the song Box Of Rain, which he wrote when his father died.

Their loyal fans, known as “Deadheads”, used to follow the band from town to town across the US to hear them play.

The band always makes it easy for their fans record their concerts and distribute the tapes to their peers around the world.

Although the cause of Lesh’s death is unknown, he had many health problems over the years.

In 2015, he announced that he was being treated for bladder cancer in the US. Nine years before that he underwent prostate cancer surgery and made a full recovery.

He had another liver transplant in 1998, and became an ardent advocate of organ donation.

Lesh was born in Berkeley, California, in 1940.

He started out as a violinist before switching to trumpet, and later bass guitar.

Lesh is survived by his wife, Jill, and their two sons.