Bobby Weir, a founding member of the Grateful Dead and one of the defining figures of psychedelic rock and the jam-band movement, died Jan. 10, his family announced. He was 78.
News of vocalist-guitarist’s death was shared in a statement posted to his Facebook page by the Weir family and later on the musician’s website. She said he died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, after battling cancer and later succumbing to lung complications.
For more than six decades, Weir stood at the heart of one of America’s most influential bands, helping shape not only the Grateful Dead’s distinctive sound but also the modern concert industry itself. The group’s improvisational performances, relentless touring and fiercely loyal fan base — the Deadheads — transformed live music into a cultural movement.
Mary McCartney, of Forestville, visits a makeshift memorial on Haight Street for Grateful Dead founding member Bobby Weir in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. Weir passed away Jan. 10 at the age of 78. A 1969 photograph of Weir taken by photographer Baron Wolman is placed in the window. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) Grateful Dead fan Marika Gregory, of Sacramento, dances to a band playing Dead tunes at the corner of Haight Street and Masonic Avenue in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. Founding member Bob Weir died yesterday at the age of 78. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) John Chi, of Ross, plays a solo as Grateful Dead fans listen to a band playing Dead tunes at the corner of Haight Street and Masonic Avenue in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. Founding member Bob Weir died yesterday at the age of 78. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Grateful Dead fan Avery Block, of San Francisco, displays a Bob Weir young and old photo while listening to a band playing Dead tunes at the corner of Haight Street and Masonic Avenue in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. Block has been to 328 Dead shows. Founding member Weir died yesterday at the age of 78. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) A Grateful Dead fan places a sign at a memorial for founding member Bob Weir in front of the band’s former communal home at 710 Ashbury Street in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. Weir died yesterday at the age of 78. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Grateful Dead fan Avery Block, of San Francisco, displays his Bob Weir tattoo while listening to a band playing Dead tunes at the corner of Haight Street and Masonic Avenue in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. Block has been to 328 Dead shows. Founding member Bob Weir died yesterday at the age of 78. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Bob Weir, playing with fellow Grateful Dead alum Mickey Hart, leads Dead & Company during their concert at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., Friday, July 14, 2023. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) Grateful Dead fan Adam Buxbaum, of Santa Rosa, pays his respects at a memorial for founding member Bob Weir in front of the band’s former communal home at 710 Ashbury Street in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. Weir died yesterday at the age of 78. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) FILE – This undated file photo shows members of the Grateful Dead band, from left to right, Mickey Hart, Phil Lesh, Jerry Garcia, Brent Mydland, Bill Kreutzmann, and Bob Weir. The 47th Kennedy Center class will be honored with an evening of tributes, testimonials and performances on Dec. 8 at Washington’s John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. (AP Photo/File) Grateful Dead fan Lewis Baden, center, wears a Bob Weir shirt as he listens to a band playing Dead tunes at the corner of Haight Street and Masonic Avenue in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. Founding member Weir died yesterday at the age of 78. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) A band plays Grateful Dead tunes for fans at the corner of Haight Street and Masonic Avenue in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. Founding member Bob Weir died yesterday at the age of 78. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Grateful Dead fans listen to a band playing Dead tunes at the corner of Haight Street and Masonic Avenue in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. Founding member Bob Weir died yesterday at the age of 78. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) A band plays Grateful Dead tunes for fans at the corner of Haight Street and Masonic Avenue in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. Founding member Bob Weir died yesterday at the age of 78. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Grateful Dead fans listen to a band playing Dead tunes at the corner of Haight Street and Masonic Avenue in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. Founding member Bob Weir died yesterday at the age of 78. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Grateful Dead fans Antonio Aversano wipes away a tear at a memorial for founding member Bob Weir in front of the band’s former communal home at 710 Ashbury Street in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. Weir died yesterday at the age of 78. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros featuring The Wolfpack perform with the Stanford Symphony Orchestra led by conductor Paul Phillips at the Frost Amphitheater in Palo Alto, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Grateful Dead fans listen to a band playing Dead tunes at the corner of Haight Street and Masonic Avenue in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. Founding member Bob Weir died yesterday at the age of 78. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Bob Weir, founding member of the Grateful Dead poses with his guitar at the rehearsal studio in San Rafael, Calif., on Friday Feb. 2, 2007. (Ray Chavez/The Oakland Tribune) A sign placed by a Grateful Dead fan at a memorial for founding member Bob Weir in front of the band’s former communal home at 710 Ashbury Street in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. Weir died yesterday at the age of 78. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Grateful Dead fan Michael, who preferred not to give his last name, listens to a band playing Dead tunes at the corner of Haight Street and Masonic Avenue in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. Founding member Bob Weir died yesterday at the age of 78. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) A note left by a fan on the front porch of 710 Ashbury Street for Grateful Dead founding member Bobby Weir in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. Weir passed away Jan. 10 at the age of 78. The home at 710 Ashbury Street is iconic because it was the headquarters of the Grateful Dead from 1966 to 1968. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) Grateful Dead fans listen to a band playing Dead tunes at the corner of Haight Street and Masonic Avenue in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. Founding member Bob Weir died yesterday at the age of 78. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
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