Phil Lesh's health problems explored in the wake of Grateful Dead singer's passing

Grateful Dead's founding member and bassist, Phil Lesh, passed away on Friday, October 25, 2024, with his official Instagram page confirming his death at age 84. The statement on his social media reads:

"Phil Lesh, bassist and founding member of the Grateful Dead, passed peacefully this morning."

The Instagram post also mentioned that the musician's family was with him when the bassist died. He was "full of love" before he passed away. The statement added:

"Phil brought immense joy to everyone around him and leaves behind a legacy of music and love. We request that you respect the Lesh family's privacy at this time."

While the official statement didn't mention the musician's cause of death, Phil Lesh had a long history of health hurdles. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2006 and bladder cancer in 2015.

Being one of the people who started Grateful Dead in 1965, Lesh was an integral part of the group's success. Bass Player magazine ranked him as the 57th greatest bassist of all time in 2017.

The magazine acknowledged how the prolific bassist "elevated the Grateful Dead from hippie jam band to an artistic ensemble capable of reaching heights of interactive ecstasy." Per the group's official website:

"Phil Lesh redefined what the bass could sound like, and in so doing heavily influenced what the Dead sounded like."

While Lesh is best remembered as their bassist, he also worked on some of Grateful Dead's biggest hits. He co-wrote tracks like Alligator, Childhood's End, Mindbender (Confusion's Prince), and New Potato Caboose.

---

Exploring Phil Lesh's health problems as the musician passes away at 84

Phil Lesh, along with his former bandmate Jerry Garcia, battled with addiction in the 60s and 70s. While Garcia passed away in 1995 while receiving treatment for his long-standing drug addiction in a California facility, Lesh managed to get clean and live on for decades. However, he battled various health problems.

In 1998, Phil Lesh needed to have a liver transplant after he experienced the debilitating effects of a hepatitis C infection. It was reportedly a result of his years of heavy drinking. He suffered his first bout with cancer in 2006 when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

In a message to his fans on his website, cited by Today's November 2006 report, he said that doctors had closely monitored his health since his liver transplant. He said that one of his doctors noticed his high prostate-specific antigens (PSA) levels. They confirmed that he had prostate cancer after a biopsy. He further explained:

"Since we've caught it very early, and it's small and slow-growing, I fully expect to have a rapid and complete recovery."

After that, Phil Lesh battled with cancer once again in 2015. In a Facebook note at the time, cited by The Guardian in October 2015, the musician wrote that he has bladder cancer.

"I was diagnosed with bladder in early October, and have spent the last few weeks at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale doing tests and eventually surgery to remove the tumors."

He mentioned at the time that the tumors were "all non-aggressive" and that there was no reason to believe that they had spread. Four years after that, in 2019, Lesh had undergone a "minor back surgery." He had to cancel his appearance at The Dirt Farmer Festival in September that year and the festival's website announced the cancellation, citing the musician's surgery and recovery.

---

Phil Lesh leaves behind his wife, Jill, and his two musician sons, Grahame and Brian.