Bob Weir, Grateful Dead co-founder, dies aged 78
Bob Weir, the guitarist and co-founder of the influential US rock band Grateful Dead, has died at the age of 78.
According to a statement posted on Weir’s official Instagram account, he passed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, following health complications that included lung issues.
The post said Weir had previously been diagnosed with cancer earlier this year and had continued performing while undergoing treatment.
“There is no final curtain here, not really. Only the sense of someone setting off again,” the statement read, adding that Weir had long spoken of building a musical legacy that would endure for generations. “He often spoke of a three-hundred-year legacy, determined to ensure the songbook would endure long after him.”
Born in 1947, Weir co-founded the Grateful Dead in 1965, helping shape what became one of the most influential acts to emerge from San Francisco’s countercultural music scene. Blending elements of psychedelia, folk, blues and Americana, the band developed a distinctive improvisational style that later became central to the jam band movement.
Over the following decades, the Grateful Dead built a devoted international following, known as “Dead Heads,” and became renowned for their live performances and constantly evolving setlists. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammy Awards in 2007.
The group ceased touring in 1995 following the death of fellow co-founder Jerry Garcia, but Weir remained active in music through a number of projects. These included Dead & Company, which held high-profile residencies at the Las Vegas Sphere in 2024 and 2025.
Despite his recent illness, Weir continued to perform until shortly before his death. The Instagram post described those final shows as “emotional, soulful, and full of light,” adding that they were intended as “gifts” rather than farewells.
Weir is survived by his wife, Natascha, and their children, Shala and Chloe. His family requested privacy while expressing gratitude for the messages of support and remembrance received following the news of his death.