The news was announced on Lesh’s verified Instagram on Friday, which said he died “peacefully” on Friday morning.
“He was surrounded by his family and full of love. Phil brought immense joy to everyone around him and leaves behind a legacy of music and love,” the announcement on social media read. “We request that you respect the Lesh family’s privacy at this time.”
CNN has reached out to a representative for the Grateful Dead. No cause of death was immediately available, but the Associated Press reported that Lesh had previously survived prostate cancer, bladder cancer and a liver transplant in 1998 brought on by a hepatitis C
A native of Berkeley, California, Lesh co-founded the band Grateful Dead in 1965 in Palo Alto with Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan and Bill Kreutzmann.
Also trained on the violin and trumpet, Lesh eventually earned second chair in California’s Oakland Symphony Orchestra while still a teen.
