Bob Weir, Founding Member of the Grateful Dead, Dies at 78 | KQED

"Weir joined the Grateful Dead - originally the Warlocks - in 1965 in San Francisco 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."

""Longevity was never a major concern of ours," Weir said when the Dead got the Grammys' Musicares Person of the Year honor last year. "Spreading joy through the music was all we ever really had in mind and we got plenty of that done.""

""For over sixty years, Bobby took to the road," the statement said. A guitarist, vocalist, storyteller, and founding member of the Grateful Dead. Bobby will forever be a guiding force whose unique artistry reshaped American music."

Bob Weir died at age 78. He joined the Grateful Dead, originally called the Warlocks, in San Francisco in 1965 at age 17 and spent 30 years touring with the band alongside Jerry Garcia, who died in 1995. He continued performing in later projects including Dead and Company and participated in the Grateful Dead's 60th-anniversary concerts in July at Golden Gate Park. Born in San Francisco and raised in Atherton, he was the band's youngest member and contributed songwriting and lead vocals to classics such as "Sugar Magnolia," "One More Saturday Night," and "Mexicali Blues." His death leaves Bill Kreutzmann as the only surviving original member.

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