Grateful Dead co-founder Bob Weir has died at the age of 78.

Weir, who was diagnosed with cancer in July, died of “underlying lung issues,” Weir’s team said in a tribute posted on his official Instagram page.

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

The statement adds, “For over sixty years, Bobby took to the road. A guitarist, vocalist, storyteller, and founding member of the Grateful Dead. Bobby will forever be a guiding force whose unique artistry reshaped American music. His work did more than fill rooms with music; it was warm sunlight that filled the soul, building a community, a language, and a feeling of family that generations of fans carry with them. Every chord he played, every word he sang was an integral part of the stories he wove. There was an invitation: to feel, to question, to wander, and to belong.”

The team said that Weir began treatment only weeks before returning to his hometown stage for a three-night celebration of 60 years of music at Golden Gate Park. They described those performances, “emotional, soulful, and full of light,” as “not farewells, but gifts.”

After the group disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with The Other Ones, later known as The Dead, together with other former members of the Grateful Dead.

Weir also founded and played in several other bands during and after his career with the Grateful Dead. During his career with the Grateful Dead, Weir played mostly rhythm guitar and sang many of the band’s rock & roll and country and western songs. In 1994, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Grateful Dead. In 2024, he was awarded Kennedy Center Honors.

Weir was also honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, the Les Paul Spirit Award and the Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award.