What you need to know
Bob Weir is being mourned by bandmates, friends, and fans alike after his team shared the news of his death on his official Instagram account on Saturday, January 10th.
The Grateful Dead founding member died in July 2025 at the age of 78 from “an underlying lung condition” after being diagnosed with cancer, according to a statement.
“Bobby will forever remain a guiding force in reshaping American music with his unique artistry,” the statement said. “His work didn’t just fill a room with music; it was a warm ray of sunshine that filled the soul and built a sense of community, language, and family that generations of fans have carried with them.”
Michael Ochs Archive/Getty
Never miss a news. Sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up to date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to human interest stories.
Following the news of his death, friends and musicians who worked closely with Weir paid tribute to the guitarist.
John Mayer (who also shares a birthday with Weir), who joined Dead & Company in 2015 after becoming a Deadhead, paid tribute to his bandmate through an Instagram post shared on Sunday, January 11th. Dead & Company was formed by the original members of the Grateful Dead, with Mayer and Weir exchanging lead songs to continue the band’s tradition.
“Okay, Bob. I’ll do it your way. Fkn’ A…” Mayer, 48, wrote. It was a nod to the guitarist’s unusually short messages, more in line with Weir’s style than his own. “Thank you for letting me come along for the ride. It was certainly fun. I’ll believe you when I say it’s not over. I’ll see you in the music. Come see me anytime,” he said in his eulogy, using Weir’s nickname, John Baugh.
Bandmate Mickey Hart, who joined the Grateful Dead as drummer in 1967 and formed Dead & Company with Weir and Bill Kreutzmann, paid tribute on Instagram on Sunday, January 11, and shared a photo from the band’s early days.
“Bob Weir was my little brother for almost 60 years,” Hart, 82, began. “He was my first friend in the Grateful Dead. We lived together, played together, made music together, and ended up changing the world.”
“Bob had the ability to play unique chords that no one else could…When we all joined together, the rhythm section, the guitars, the voices…it was transcendent,” he continued. “A lifelong adventure boils down to something simple: We are a family, and through it all, we have stayed true to music.”
He concluded: “These photos show the bookends of our time together. I still can’t believe he’s gone. I miss you so much, dear friend.”
Dead & Company bassist Oteil Burbridge paid tribute to Weir, thanking him for touring with him for the past 10 years.
“I can’t think of anyone who needed to play live music more than Bob. It went beyond devotion, commitment, obsession. It seemed to me like identification. I think he felt it was who he was and who he was. And I can’t think of anyone who needed to play live music more than Bob. We could lean on it like the sun comes up,” he wrote.
“He was so unique as a person and as a musician. His speaking mannerisms were as unique as the way he played the guitar, sang, wrote songs, and lived his daily life.”
Burbridge, 61, continued: “Thank you, Bob, for keeping me on track. There are no words that can encompass the past ten years we’ve spent together. I’m so happy to have been a part of it all. And thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts with us young musicians and yourself. Thank you for sharing yourself with us. It’s great to see so many photos of you with so many musicians who weren’t part of the Grateful Dead. Thank you for letting us be a part of it. It couldn’t have been better.” Of the blessings of music. ”
“Finally, a friend of mine said he was sad that Bob passed away at only 78 years old. I told him I thought Bob had at least 146 years packed into him.”
In a statement shared to Instagram on Saturday, January 10, Trey Anastasio remembered Weir as a “sweet, kind and gentle friend” and praised his “unique and beautiful perspective on life.” The Phish guitarist participated in the Grateful Dead’s 50th anniversary Fair The Well show in 2015, and most recently performed with Dead & Company at their 60th anniversary in 2025.
Anastasio, 61, recalled spending three nights with Weir at the beach house: “Just the two of us. We played the guitar, we made scrambled eggs, we listened to records, we worked out, we talked, we walked on the beach.” He recalled Weir telling him stories about his high school days and the early days of the Grateful Dead. “I found it all infinitely fascinating,” Anastasio wrote.
“The more I got to know Bobby, the more I liked him. I learned a lot from him,” he continued.
“The last time I saw Bobby was at Dead 60 (in August). We had a good laugh backstage and then I got on the bus to hang out with Bobby and his beautiful family. I could see that his health wasn’t the same.”
Anastasio delivered his eulogy: “Rest in peace, Bobby. Thank you for all the gifts you brought to the world and all the love you gave to so many of us. Your spirit lives on forever. My heart is with Tasha and your beautiful daughters.”
Longtime Deadhead Andy Cohen posted a tribute to Weir on Instagram on Saturday, January 10th. Cohen recalled his first Grateful Dead concert in 1986 in Alpine Valley, Wisconsin, and recalled the feeling of hearing Weir’s “fierce and smooth” voice, saying, “It was like sunlight coming out of his mouth.”
“Bob Weir wasn’t ‘the other,’ he was that guy,” Cohen, 57, wrote. “He was incredibly beautiful, intense, intense, passionate.”
“Through my friendship with John (Mayer), I am so blessed to have known the Weir family as wonderful as Bob,” he continued. “When he appeared on WWHL a few times and talked about Jerry’s death, he called it a ‘check-in.’ I felt like that was a very graceful way to put it, and it’s a testament to the fluidity of all of us in this world.”
“Bob has checked out, but his music will live on forever, and so will he. One of the coolest and best music ever. ⚡”
Singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile praised Weir in an Instagram post shared on Sunday, January 11th. He posted a photo of them playing together and remembered Weir as “a soul who paved the way for us to grow.”
“I bow deeply to you, sir. You left every corner of the world you touched better than when you found it,” Carlyle, 44, wrote. “The time I spent with you is a true treasure for me now💔”
“Tonight, I’m thinking of all my music friends, young and old, and how @bobweir made time for all of us…he came to our shows, helped write songs, got so many of us on stage to jam, and just stood in his light.”
“It was so great to be in the world at the same time as Bobby Weir,” she concluded.
Bluegrass musician Billy Strings (real name William Apostol) paid tribute to Weir in a series of photos and statements he shared on Instagram on Sunday, January 11th.
“We are all completely devastated, but I can’t help but feel like he is completely at peace right now and more magical than ever,” Strings, 33, wrote. “I never knew a man so in tune with the universe. He was so mysterious, wise, mysterious, charming and brilliant. He was a seeker of the stars…a sage of the sky who traded fear for wonder. Now he rides the Northern Lights and flies barefoot among the constellations…”
Strings remembered Weir’s kindness, writing, “He always had endless time and knowledge to share with everyone and was one of the kindest people I have ever known. The world is a better place because of him. I am so grateful to have had him in my life.”
“The Heavens Choir has just acquired a beautiful new voice, and there is joy in knowing that he will be with his old friends again. Singing, laughing and playing beautiful songs,” he continued. “Thank you Bob. ❤️”
Singer-songwriter and longtime Grateful Dead fan Maggie Rogers, who paid tribute to the band at the 2024 Kennedy Center Honors with a performance of “The Devil’s Friend,” honored “this beautiful human being” in a eulogy shared on Instagram on Saturday, January 10, thanking him for “the path he blazed with creativity and curiosity that always served others.”
“💔 Oh, this hurts,” she began. “This person showed me a lot of kindness early on in my career and welcomed me into the spirit of making music that was all about community, connection, and soul, and always with the perfect spark of mischief around the edges.”
Rodgers, 31, concluded: “Sending so much love to his family, band and so many people who cared so much about @bobweir 🕊️.”
Country artist Brittney Spencer shared a video on Instagram of her and Weir singing “Looks Like Rain” backstage after soundcheck at their Radio City Music Hall show on Saturday, January 10. Spencer revealed that was the first day they met.
“It was awesome. Bob and the guys really loved playing. It felt like a musical arcade in an almost empty hall. We all got along so well and had so much fun,” Spencer, 37, wrote. “Bobby was so calm that it was easy to not think too hard and just feel the atmosphere. That feeling was correct.”
Spencer went on to say, “I will miss our harmonies, our conversations, and so much I learned just by being around him…What a beautiful and fragile gift it is to be able to exist in this dimension with the person who taught me that this journey was worth taking with an open heart until the end.”
“Rest in peace, Bobby. Thank you for the time and music we shared together 🫶🏾 Love you forever.”
