Bob Weir, co-founder of rock group the Grateful Dead, dies at age 78 | US news
Veteran rock musician Bob Weir, the rhythm guitarist who helped guide the Grateful Dead’s legendary jam band through decades of change and success, has died at the age of 78, according to a statement posted on his verified Instagram account on Friday.
The statement said he was diagnosed with cancer in July and “succumbed to underlying lung problems” in the presence of his loved ones. It was not stated when and where he died.
Along with his late friend Grateful Dead co-founder and lead guitarist Jerry Garcia, who is at the center of the Deadhead universe, Weir was one of the band’s two lead singers and main vocalists for most of the band’s history.
It was Weir who sang the verses of the band’s trademark boogie anthem Truckin’ and wrote such notable songs as Sugar Magnolia, Playing in the Band and Jack Straw.
The young, pony-tailed “Bobby” evolved into an eclectic songwriter whose handsome good looks and diverse musical influences helped broaden the group’s appeal. British newspaper The Independent called Weir “arguably rock’s greatest, if most eccentric, rhythm guitarist.”
After Garcia’s death in 1995 at the age of 53, Weir pursued an intriguing but somewhat neglected solo career, mostly with his band RatDog, and participated in reunions of the surviving Dead members in different configurations.
