Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir dead at 78

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FILE - Bob Weir at the 67th GRAMMY Awards held at the Crypto.com Arena on February 2, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Gilbert Flores/Billboard via Getty Images)

Grateful Dead founding member Bob Weir has died, according to a family statement posted to his official Instagram account. 

What they're saying:

"It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Bobby Weir. He transitioned peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, after courageously beating cancer as only Bobby could. Unfortunately, he succumbed to underlying lung issues," the statement on Instagram begins. 

He was 78. 

The statement says Weir had been diagnosed in July, but didn't offer further details except to say it was just weeks before he performed in his hometown for a three-night celebration of 60 years of music at Golden Gate Park.

"Those performances, emotional, soulful, and full of light, were not farewells, but gifts," his family wrote. "Another act of resilience."

Breaking: Grateful Dead co-founder Bob Weir dead at 78

Bob Weir, co-founder of the Grateful Dead, has died at 78 years old, a statement from his family on his social media page confirmed. "It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Bobby Weir. He transitioned peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, after courageously beating cancer as only Bobby could." 

Bob Weir Grateful Dead

Weir was famously the "little brother" of the Grateful Dead, as the guitarist and vocalist joined the band in 1965 at just 17 years old. He'd spend the next 30 years playing on endless tours with the Grateful Dead alongside fellow singer and guitarist Jerry Garcia, who died in 1995.

Weir wrote or co-wrote and sang lead vocals on Dead classics including "Sugar Magnolia," "One More Saturday Night" and "Mexicali Blues."

In the decades since, he kept playing with other projects, including Dead and Company.

Weir’s death leaves drummer Bill Kreutzmann as the only surviving original member. Founding bassist Phil Lesh died in 2024.