SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Bob Weir, co-founder, guitarist and singer of the Grateful Dead, has died at age 78 after a battle with cancer and lung issues, his family announced.
Weir’s family shared the news in a statement posted on his official social media accounts, saying he died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones. According to the family, Weir was diagnosed with cancer in July 2025. Despite beginning treatment only weeks earlier, he performed with Dead & Company, the Grateful Dead’s latest offshoot, in August during a three-night run at Golden Gate Park celebrating the band’s 60th anniversary.
“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,” the statement read.
The family described Weir as a guitarist, vocalist, storyteller and founding member of the Grateful Dead whose “unique artistry reshaped American music.” They recalled his six-decade career as one that “built a community, a language, and a feeling of family that generations of fans carry with them.” The statement continued: “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.”
Weir’s final months, the family said, reflected “the same spirit that defined his life.” After his diagnosis 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. Another act of resilience. An artist choosing, even then, to keep going by his own design.”
The statement concluded: “There is no final curtain here, not really. Only the sense of someone setting off again. He 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. And so we send him off the way he sent so many of us on our way: with a farewell that isn’t an ending, but a blessing. A reward for a life worth living.”
Weir is survived by his wife, Natascha, and daughters, Monet and Chloe. The family requested privacy during this time and expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support.
Tributes from Musicians
Fellow musicians paid tribute to Weir following news of his death.
“Sad to hear that my friend Bobby has passed on,” Phish guitarist and vocalist Trey Anastasio wrote on social media. “This one really hurts. I really loved him. He was a sweet, kind, gentle friend, and I never believed this would happen so soon. … Thank you for all the gifts you brought into the world, and for all the love you gave to so many of us. Your spirit lives on forever.”
Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens noted Weir’s impact on rock music. “Losing Bob Weir is another reminder that all of the founders of the electric rock generation are leaving us. Once they are all gone, it’s the end of the guys and girls that fought the good fight,” Stevens wrote. “Stood for something other than the almighty dollar. Stood up against war, against racism, against greed. … There are no fans like Grateful Dead fans. I dedicate this post to not only Bob but you Deadheads out there. Bless you for loving the music.”