LOS ANGELES – Bob Weir, the iconic guitarist and vocalist who co-founded the legendary band Grateful Dead, has passed away at the age of 78.

The news of Weir’s passing was shared on Saturday through a statement on his Instagram account.

“With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of Bobby Weir,” the statement revealed. “He left us peacefully, surrounded by family and friends, after a brave battle against cancer as only Bobby could. Sadly, he ultimately succumbed to complications related to his lungs.”

Weir embarked on his musical journey with the Grateful Dead, initially known as the Warlocks, in 1965 in San Francisco. At just 17, he began a three-decade-long adventure of non-stop touring alongside fellow musician Jerry Garcia, who passed away in 1995.

Weir’s contributions to the band included writing, co-writing, and performing lead vocals on renowned tracks such as “Sugar Magnolia,” “One More Saturday Night,” and “Mexicali Blues.”

In the decades since he kept playing with other projects including Dead and Company.

“For over sixty years, Bobby took to the road,” the Instagram statement said. A guitarist, vocalist, storyteller, and founding member of the Grateful Dead. Bobby will forever be a guiding force whose unique artistry reshaped American music.”

Weir’s death leaves drummer Bill Kreutzmann as the only surviving original member. Founding bassist Phil Lesh died in 2024.

Dead and Company played a series of concert’s for the Grateful Dead’s 60th anniversary in July at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.

Born in San Francisco and raised in nearby Atherton, Weir was the Dead’s youngest member and looked like a fresh-faced high-schooler in its early years. He was generally less shaggy than the rest of the band, but had a long beard like Garcia’s in later years.

The band would survive long past the hippie moment of its birth, with its fans known as Deadheads often following them on the road in a virtually non-stop tour.

“Longevity was never a major concern of ours,” Weir said when the Dead got the Grammys’ Musicares Person of the Year honor last year. “Spreading joy through the music was all we ever really had in mind and we got plenty of that done.”