Phil Lesh, the bassist and a charter member of the Grateful Dead who was 84 when he died on Friday, will be remembered as a versatile musician and a pioneer for his instrument of choice.
Lesh co-wrote songs and was an occasional lead vocalist across his 30-year career with the rock band. But his skill at soaring improvisation and his chemistry with the band’s lead guitarist, Jerry Garcia, ensured that Lesh would also be seen as a main character.
Here are some snapshots from Lesh’s life and career.
Phil Lesh, Bob Weir and Jerry Garcia in 1965 as the Warlocks before they became the Grateful Dead.
Lesh on Ashbury Street in 1968.
The Grateful Dead with reporters in San Francisco in 1967.
From left, Bill Kreutzmann on drums, Lesh and Weir at the Cafe Au Go Go in New York in 1967.
From left, Garcia, Lesh and Weir in Ann Arbor, Mich., in 1967.
San Francisco, 1968.
The Dead in 1970, clockwise from top left: Weir, Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann, Ron McKernan, Mickey Hart and Garcia.
San Francisco, 1970.
The Dead in the late ’60s.
From left, Garcia, Weir and Lesh in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, 1975.
Lesh at Hollywood Bowl, 1974.
Lesh, at right, with David Crosby, left, and Ned Lagin, who both played briefly with the Dead.
San Francisco, 1978
Weir and Lesh.
Weir and Lesh at a recording studio in San Rafael, Calif.
The Dead in 1982, from left: Brent Mydland, Lesh, Kruetzmann, Weir, Garcia and Hart.
Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado in 1987.
Hart, Wier and Lesh with the mascot of the San Francisco Giants in 2011.
Lesh at Terrapin Crossroads in San Rafael, Calif.
The Dead at Soldier Field in Chicago in 2015.
Lesh at Terrapin Crossroads in 2015.
At the Great South Bay Music Festival in Patchogue, N.Y., last year.
Source: Elections - nytimes.com
