Grateful Dead Founding Member Bob Weir Dies At 78

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