The surviving members of the Grateful Dead pay tribute to Phil Lesh

“We can count on one hand the people who we can say have had an equally profound impact on our development – in every way. And there have been even fewer people who have done this consistently over the decades and will continue to do so as long as we live. What a gift he was to us. We won’t say we will miss him, because at any given moment, nothing we do will be without the lessons he taught us – and the lessons to come as the conversations continue.”

Lesh died Friday at age 84; No cause of death was given. “He was surrounded by his family and full of love,” his family said in a statement. “Phil brought great joy to everyone around him and leaves a legacy full of music and love.”

After the death of Jerry Garcia (whose family also paid tribute to Lesh Friday) in 1995, the band ensured that the music never stopped by splitting into various Dead-related entities, with Lesh contributing to The Other Ones, Furthur, the Dead , and his own beloved Phil & Friends.

“Phil loved the Dead Heads and always kept them in his heart and mind. The thing is…Phil was so much more than a virtuoso bassist, a composer, a family man, a cultural icon…” the surviving three original members added Friday.

“There will be many tributes and everyone will say important things. But we've been making music with Phil Lesh for a lifetime and the music says it all. So listen to the Grateful Dead, and that way we’ll all take a little bit of Phil with us forever.”