Grateful Dead founding member Bob Weir dies at 78
January 10, 2026
Bob Weir, guitarist, singer and founding member of the Grateful Dead, has died at age 78. Weir’s death was announced Saturday in a statement on his Instagram page. The statement says said Weir had beaten cancer but succumbed to underlying lung issues. Weir joined the Grateful Dead in 1965 at just 17 years old. He’d spend the next 30 years playing on endless tours alongside fellow singer and guitarist Jerry Garcia, who died in 1995. Weir wrote or co-wrote and sang lead vocals on Dead classics including “Sugar Magnolia” and “Mexicali Blues.” In the decades since he kept playing with other projects including Dead and Company.