The friendship between Lesh and Garcia spanned three decades, from the time the band was known as The Warlocks to Lesh joining as Dana Morgan Jr.’s successor and changing their name to The Grateful Dead. When Garcia died in 1995, Lesh continued to keep the band’s legacy alive through various forms of the group with former members and in several iterations of Phil Lesh and Friends.

“Jerry was the focal point,” Lesh said Rolling Stone. “We were the spokes. And the music was the profile on the bike.”

The pair met at a Bay Area house party in 1959 and again after a Warlocks performance in 1964. Garcia invited Lesh to join the band on bass guitar, an instrument he had never played. The following year, Lesh performed at his first show with the Warlocks at Bikini A-Go-Go in Hayward, California.

In the family’s statement on Friday, they wrote: “We are eternally grateful and hope that everyone joins us in wishing him a wonderful and peaceful journey into the afterlife.” Thank you Phil! May your blessed cosmic brain beats continue to play.”