On This Day in 1972, Founding Grateful Dead Member “Pigpen” Played His Final Show With the Band

When remembering the Grateful Dead, the casual fans often only remember Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Mick Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, and Phil Lesh. Those were the big five and the names that are most commonly associated with the band. However, there is one other name that is often forgotten about. And that is the founding member, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan. He performed his final show with The Grateful Dead on this day, June 17, 1972.

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Ron “Pigpen” McKernan was part of The Grateful Dead before they were even the Grateful Dead. Before The Dead became The Dead in 1965, McKernan, Weir, and Garcia started an acoustic string band called Mother McCree’s Uptown Jug Champions. After seeing the Rolling Stones rise to the top of rock ‘n’ roll ranks, the band decided to go electric. And they did so with their founding member and jack of all trades musician, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan.

Why “Pigpen” Had To Leave The Grateful Dead

In 1972, The Grateful Dead were not at their height; however, they still had a cult following. That being said, they could pack larger stadiums, including Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl. This is where “Pigpen” played his last show, as he stepped away from touring after their June 17 performance at the venue. His final show consisted of hit songs such as “Sugaree”, “Tennessee Jed”, “Casey Jones”, and the debut of “Stella Blue”.

Prior to this show, McKernan’s health had been deteriorating after having some complications with congenital biliary cirrhosis. Throughout the year, things only got worse, and consequently, McKernan had to retire from touring officially, but he still stayed associated with the band. Roughly a year later, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan passed away at his home in Corte Madera, California. He died from a gastrointestinal hemorrhage at 27 years old.

Tragically, “Pigpen” did not live long enough to see The Grateful Dead become one of the most influential and successful bands of all time. However, without him, their legacy would not be what it is today. While in the group, “Pigpen” helped craft Grateful Dead staples such as “Mr. Charlie”, “Turn On Your Love Light”, and “Easy Wind”.

Following his death, The Grateful Dead continued with their music career and took no significant breaks. Shortly after his passing, The Grateful Dead released the tribute album, Bear’s Choice, which featured three tracks written and sung by the original member. The death of “Pigpen” marked the end of the “original” Grateful Dead.

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