There are so many people who can rightfully say that their life would not have been the same without Bob Weir,” the drummer wrote. “That’s been true for me since I was 17”

Jerry Garcia had already been playing music with Bob Weir in a jug band when he called me up to form a rock band with them. That’s how I first met Bob. We called ourselves the Warlocks, playing our first real shows at a pizza parlor in Menlo Park and, long story short (but with a few steps in between)… we became the Grateful Dead.

Drummer Bill Kreutzmann, the last surviving original Grateful Dead member, has posted an emotional tribute to late bandmate Bob Weir.

The songwriter, guitarist and singer, who died at 78, animated the Grateful Dead from within. Bob Weir — the Grateful Dead’s rhythm guitarist and one of its songwriters and lead singers — should be celebrated for his riffs and vamps alone.

Burbridge formed Dead & Company with Weir, John Mayer, drummers Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, and keyboardist Jeff Chimenti in 2015 (Jay Lane replaced Kreutzmann in 2023). It's unclear how - and if - the Grateful Dead offshoot will continue without Weir, but his bandmates have all released heartfelt tributes honoring him.