The Grateful Dead co founder, Bob Weir has died aged 78.
Weir's death was confirmed by his family, with the musician been previously diagnosed with cancer last July. Despite originally beating the disease, his family said that he "succumbed to underlying lung issues".
In a statement shared via his personal website, Weir's family paid tribute to the late songwriter.
"For over sixty years, Bobby took to the road," the statement said. "Bobby will forever be a guiding force whose unique artistry reshaped American music."
"His work did more than fill rooms with music; it was warm sunlight that filled the soul, building a community, a language, and a feeling of family that generations of fans carry with them", they added. "As we remember Bobby, it's hard not to feel the echo of the way he lived".
Bob Weir co founded The Grateful Dead alongside Jerry Garcia, Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, Phil Lesh, and Bill Kreutzmann, a band which became known as one of the leading music groups from the counterculture movement of the 1960s.
The band were renowned for revolutionising fan engagement, as followers known as "deadheads" who recorded and swapped bootleg tapes of the concerts in a communal, camp environment. In 1995, the band disbanded following Garcia's death, with Weir going on to perform with the group, Dead & Company.
Bob Weir went on to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 as part of the Grateful Dead.
Thirty years later, he received Kennedy Center Honours with the group, during the final year of Joe Biden's presidency.
Back in December 2024, it was reported that the Grateful Dead were set to reunite as part of their 60th anniversary celebrations prior to the death of bassist Phil Lesh. The band had reportedly been recording just days before Lesh's death in October that year.
"We were kicking it around," Weir said at the time. "In fact, we were gonna get together and kick some songs around tomorrow".
"I was hoping that we could play with him again one more time," he admitted. "That was my sadness on that one. 'Cause I know he wanted to play with us again, too", Kreutzmann added. More on this story from Nova here.
