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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.”
“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.
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.
CBS News
Many North Carolina students return to class for first time since Hurricane Helene
Valle Crucis, North Carolina — In the hills of Watauga County in western North Carolina, the ride for Valle Crucis Elementary School students was filled with excitement Friday. They were among several thousand North Carolina students who returned to school for the first time since Hurricane Helene tore through portions of the state about a month ago, carving a path of destruction.
“I was worried about them because of the hurricane,” one Valle Crucis student said of his fellow classmates. “And I was super happy, super-duper happy to see them.”
Helene filled Valle Crucis Elementary, a K-8 school, with 4 feet of muddy water and swamped the school buses parked outside the school. As a result, classes are being temporarily held at an old conference center located about a mile from the damaged school.
“Students, faculty and families have been through trauma,” said Watauga County Schools Superintendent Leslie Alexander. “Getting kids back is the first step to normalcy, but we have to realize that people have been through a lot.”
When Helene hit, 459 schools in 28 North Carolina districts were affected. Schools in five of those districts remain closed. Some may not open until early November.
Many students are still carrying a heavy mental load, the pain of losing a loved one or their home, or in some cases, both. At least 98 people were killed by Helene in North Carolina, according to numbers compiled by CBS News, and the hurricane was responsible for at least 217 deaths across six states.
On Friday, extra counselors were on hand at Watauga County schools for any staff and students who wanted to talk.
“For the first couple weeks, I started to feel anxiety from not seeing anyone, so it was really refreshing when I heard that this week we were going back to school,” 12-year-old Valle Crucis student Georgia said.
Georgia was with her parents, James and Heather, when their home began to flood and their community was washed away.
“When the rain stopped and we went and walked around,” Heather said of her daughter. “She said, ‘I’m not learning academically right now, but I’m learning a lot about survival.'”
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E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders widens
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Fake election-related videos being spread on social media
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