Sunday, May 31, 2026

RIP Phil Lesh, 84, Bass Player and Founding Member of the Grateful Dead

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What a week for the members of the Grateful Dead.

A few days ago I announced they would receive the Musicares Person of the Year Award.

Now beloved bass player Phil Lesh, a founding member, has died at age 84.

I can tell you exclusively that Phil was on daily dialysis, and suffered from kidney disease for quite a while. I’m told that it was amazing he got this far.

Without Lesh there are only three original members of the Dead left to receive the Musicares award or the Kennedy Center induction in December. They are Bill Kreutzmann, Mickey Hart, and Bob Weir.

Phil Lesh was the center of the Grateful Dead sound. He gave those songs and performances their driving energy on stage and on the records. His playing was mesmerizing — ask the Deadheads who could listen to him for hours and hours.

What a shame. Condolences to his family, fans, and friends.

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009 and previously edited Fame magazine and wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. is articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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