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Phil Lesh, bassist and founding member of The Grateful Dead, dies at 84
Phil Lesh, bassist and founding member of The Grateful Dead, died Friday, a producer who worked with him confirmed to CBS News. He was 84 years old.
A post on his Instagram account said Lesh “passed peacefully this morning.”
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“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. We request that you respect the Lesh family’s privacy at this time,” the post said.
One of America’s most enduring musical groups, The Grateful Dead was formed as a quintet in California in 1965, according to their official website. Jerry Garcia, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, Bob Weir Bill Kreutzmann and Phil Lesh made up the original band members. The band signed to Warner Brothers in late 1966, releasing their self-titled debut later that spring.
The band went on to tour for the next half-decade — an era, the band said was their most creatively fertile. Somea members left, some died, and others were added, but the original magic of Phil Lesh and Jerry Garcia stayed intact through some of their most tumultuous years. Garcia died in 1995.
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The Grateful Dead toured extensively garnering legions of fans around the world for their ability to play music and “jam.”
In 2007, the band received the Lifetime Achievement award from the Recording Academy.
The band broke the record for the most Top 40 albums to chart on the Billboard 200 in 2024. Even though the band disbanded in 1995 following the death of singer Jerry Garcia, its archival albums’ popularity pushed the music into the Top 40. Forty-one of the band’s 59 entries in the Top 40 have happened since 2012.
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A Florida panther was struck and killed by a vehicle on Nov. 22, making it the 30th panther death of the year in the state and marking a grim milestone: the number of Florida panthers that have died more than doubled this year compared with 2023.
It’s the highest death toll for the critically endangered species since 2018, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The vast majority of the panthers have died after being struck by vehicles, including five in the past month. One panther was killed earlier this year after being hit by a train. The most recent panther death occurred on Nov. 22, when a 3-year-old panther was struck by a car on SR-29 Southbound. The collision took place about two miles south of a local gun range, according to Florida officials.
Tim Donovan/FWC
At least 239 Florida panthers have died in vehicular collisions in the past 10 years, according to Panther Crossing, an organization dedicated to reducing deaths of the animals due to cars. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has previously issued statements encouraging motorists to slow down in areas in several South Florida counties where panthers are known to be active.
There are only between 120 and 230 Florida panthers in the wild, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Three newborn cubs were spotted in the Sunshine State earlier this year. The animals were once common in the Southeast, but now they mostly live along the Gulf Coast of Florida, CBS News previously reported.
The panther population was mostly decimated by hunting, according to the National Wildlife Federation, and remains susceptible to low genetic diversity, illnesses and habitat loss. It is “so critically endangered that it is vulnerable to just about every major threat,” according to the NWF.
