One fateful night in August 1995, Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir dreamed that he saw bandmate Jerry Garcia backstage at a show. Sensing something amiss about the encounter, Weir awoke to the news that his friend had died of a heart attack at just 53 years old.
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Now 77, the San Francisco-born artist is one of the Dead’s few remaining members. And having grappled with his own mortality, Weir isn’t exactly dreading his number being called.
Bob Weir Sees Death as “the Last and Best Reward”
Approaching his eighth decade, Bob Weir is as busy as ever. In January, he saw the Grateful Dead honored as MusiCares’ 2025 Persons of the Year. Just recently, Weir returned to Las Vegas for another 18-show stint at The Sphere with Dead & Company. While he has no plans of slowing down anytime soon, the countercultural icon tells Rolling Stone he will welcome death when it is his time to go.
“I’ll say this: I look forward to dying,” Weir told the outlet. “I tend to think of death as the last and best reward for a life well-lived. That’s it.”
However, don’t take that to mean he’s in any kind of hurry. “I’ve still got a lot on my plate, and I won’t be ready to go for a while,” Weir added.
Bassist’s Death Means Grateful Dead Reunion Is Uncertain
In fairness, Bob Weir has had occasion to ponder such matters lately. Amid talk of a Grateful Dead 60th anniversary reunion this year. bassist Phil Lesh died in October 2024. Now, it certainly seems less likely.
“I think when Phil checked out, so did that notion, because we don’t have a bass player who’s been playing with us for 60 years now,” Weir told Rolling Stone.
He continued, “Phil had all kinds of ideas that were pretty much unique to him. I grew up with Phil holding down the bottom in his unique way. I suppose I could go back out. I wouldn’t put anybody in his place, so it would be a trio at this point.”
Featured image by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
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