Phil Lesh, co-founder of The Grateful Dead, dies aged 84

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Phil Lesh, an innovative bassist and founding member of The Grateful Dead, died on Friday, according to a statement on his Instagram account. He was 84 years old.

Over three decades, classically trained Lesh and Grateful Dead icon Jerry Garcia shared a close musical partnership that resulted in the eclectic California rock band's psychedelic sound and famous onstage improvisations.

Lesh “passed away peacefully” and “surrounded by his family and full of love,” the statement said.

“Phil brought great joy to everyone around him and leaves a legacy full of music and love.”

An early pioneer of the burgeoning electric bass sound of the 1960s, Lesh took a more melodic, improvisational approach to the instrument, which was traditionally more of a timepiece, with its chords dominating rather than taking a backseat.

He was far from the band's most prolific writer, but he co-wrote some of the Dead's most notable, jam-worthy tracks – including “Dark Star” and “St. Stephen” – and also sang harmonies for the band and rarely led vocals.

Lesh was born on March 15, 1940 in Berkeley, California and began his life as a musician playing the violin. He later began playing the trumpet and composing for orchestra, as his studies awakened in him a great interest in avant-garde classical music and free jazz.

As a volunteer sound engineer at a local public radio station, Lesh met bluegrass banjo player Garcia while studying with Italian modernist Luciano Berio.

In the fall of 1964 he joined Garcia's new band – The Warlocks – and took over bass.

He later said he was more inspired by Bach's counterpoint style – a classical music theory that focuses on the relationship of harmonically interdependent parts of music – than by his contemporaries.

As the Grateful Dead, the band members became key figures in the counterculture beginning in the 1960s, revolutionizing fan engagement by having “Deadheads” travel from show to show.

Many followers recorded and shared pirated copies of the concerts and enjoyed the communal drug-addicted camp environment.

The rockers broke up in 1995, a few months after Garcia's death.

“Jerry was the focal point,” Lesh later told Rolling Stone. “We were the spokes. And the music was the profile on the bike.”

Lesh performed in various variations in the tradition of the dead for decades. He retired from regular touring in 2014.

In 1998, Lesh underwent a liver transplant after a hepatitis C infection – after which he used his concerts as a platform to encourage fans to donate organs.

In 2015, he said he had malignant bladder tumors after a battle with prostate cancer in 2006.

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