<\/p>\n
Bob Weir, the guitarist and singer who as an essential member of the Grateful Dead helped found the sound of the San Francisco counterculture of the 1960s and kept it alive through decades of endless tours and marathon jams, has died. He was 78.<\/p>\n
Weir\u2019s death was announced Saturday in a statement on his Instagram page.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Bobby Weir,\u201d a statement on his Instagram posted Saturday said. \u201cHe transitioned peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, after courageously beating cancer as only Bobby could. Unfortunately, he succumbed to underlying lung issues.\u201d<\/p>\n
The statement did not say where or when Weir died, but he lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for most of his life.<\/p>\n
Weir joined the Grateful Dead \u2014 originally the Warlocks \u2014 in 1965 in San Francisco at just 17 years old. He would spend the next 30 years playing on endless tours with the Grateful Dead alongside fellow singer and guitarist Jerry Garcia, who died in 1995.<\/p>\n
Weir wrote or co-wrote and sang lead vocals on Dead classics including \u201cSugar Magnolia,\u201d \u201cOne More Saturday Night\u201d and \u201cMexicali Blues.\u201d<\/p>\n
After Garcia\u2019s death, he would be the Dead\u2019s most recognizable face. In the decades since, he kept playing with other projects that kept alive the band\u2019s music and legendary fan base, including Dead & Company.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor over sixty years, Bobby took to the road,\u201d the Instagram statement said. \u201cA guitarist, vocalist, storyteller, and founding member of the Grateful Dead. Bobby will forever be a guiding force whose unique artistry reshaped American music.\u201d<\/p>\n