Bob Weir, Founding Member of Grateful Dead, has Died at 78

Bob Weir has died at 78. The founding guitarist of the Grateful Dead, Weir succumbed to "underlying lung issues," according to a post shared by his family on his official Instagram.

"It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Bobby Weir. He transitioned peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, after courageously beating cancer as only Bobby could. Unfortunately, he succumbed to underlying lung issues...

Diagnosed in July, he began treatment only weeks before returning to his hometown stage for a three-night celebration of 60 years of music at Golden Gate Park. Those performances, emotional, soulful, and full of light, were not farewells, but gifts."

The post described Weir's death not as an ending, but as a new beginning. Bobby "often spoke of a three-hundred-year legacy, determined to ensure the songbook would endure long after him. May that dream live on through future generations of Dead Heads," they wrote.

Indeed, the Grateful Dead songbook is alive and thriving, perhaps even more so than during the band's original tenure. While Jerry Garcia's passing in 1995 brought the original band's touring days to an end, hundreds (and maybe thousands) of offshoots have sprung up in its wake. These ancillary acts have been exceptionally successful in continuing the Dead's legacy and sharing the music far and wide.

The Dead's legacy in the ski community is profound. From Chis Benchetler's stunning work to our own merch drops, you'd be hard pressed to throw a stone on any given mountain without hitting a Deadhead.