Bob Weir, founding member of the Grateful Dead, dies at 78

Bob Weir, founding member of the legendary rock group The Grateful Dead, has died at the age of 78, his family announced Saturday.

“It is with deep sadness that we share the passing of Bobby Weir,” his family wrote in a message posted on their Instagram page. “He made a peaceful transition, surrounded by his loved ones, after courageously overcoming cancer as only Bobby could. Sadly, he succumbed to underlying lung issues.”

In the release, the family revealed that Weir was diagnosed with cancer in July.

“When we remember Bobby, it’s hard not to feel the echo of how he lived,” his family wrote. “A man who drifts and dreams, never caring if the road would take him home. A child of countless trees. A child of boundless seas.”

Weir formed the Grateful Dead with Jerry Garcia after the two met in 1963 as teenagers in Palo Alto, California. The group, with its unique blend of blues, folk and jazz, became a touring powerhouse for decades until Garcia’s death in 1995.

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

The group eventually reformed a few years after Garcia’s death and has gone through many iterations over the years, most recently under the name Dead & Company.

“For over sixty years, Bobby hit the road,” his family’s statement said. “Guitarist, singer, storyteller and founding member of the Grateful Dead. Bobby will forever be a guiding force whose unique artistry reshaped American music. His work did more than fill rooms with music; it was the warmth of the sun that filled the soul, building a community, a language and a sense of family that generations of fans carry with them.”

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

Dead and Company performed a series of concerts for the Grateful Dead’s 60th anniversary in July at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.