American musician and songwriter Bob Weir passed away surrounded by his loved ones, according to his family. The rock group Grateful Dead’s former guitarist and singer was 78 years old. He had just battled a cancer diagnosis, but his family said he passed away from “underlying lung difficulties” in their Instagram post. The notification omitted Weir’s death date. Weir spent decades as a bassist and singer with the American psychedelic rock group the Grateful Dead. He also composed several of the band’s songs, such as the popular “Sugar Magnolia,” which is a mainstay at Grateful Dead performances.
In addition, he had a lengthy solo career, playing live until months before his death and forming a number of bands with other Grateful Dead alumni. Born Robert Hall Parber in San Francisco, California, on October 16, 1947, Weir spent some time attending school in Colorado, where he met John Perry Barlow, a future member of the Grateful Dead, before growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area. At the age of 13, Weir began playing guitar and became involved in the local bluegrass scene, where he first heard Jerry Garcia play the banjo. Garcia and Weir decided to start their own band, Mother McCree’s Uptown Jug Champions, on December 31, 1965. This band later became the Grateful Dead.
For many years, Weir sang and played rhythm guitar with the ensemble. Beginning in the 1970s, he also experimented with a solo career and a number of different bands outside of the Grateful Dead, such as Furthur, RatDog, Bobby and the Midnites, Kingfish, and The different.
