John Mayer pays homage to late Grateful Dead bass player Phil Lesh who died at 84: ‘My heart aches’

John Mayer is the latest musical voice to pay his respects to late Grateful Dead member Phil Lesh. 

 ‘Joining the choir of voices to express my sadness in the passing of the great @phillesh,’ the Grammy winner, 47,  wrote on social media Saturday next to a throwback photo of himself and the bass player who died Friday at age 84.

The photo by Jay Blakesberg appeared to be from the project, Phil Lesh & Friends, which included a lineup of various musicians including Mayer, Phish and the Allman Brothers Band, among others. 

 The rocker extolled the groundbreaking musician for his willingness to share.

‘Phil had an open door policy when it came to the music, and gave so openly to so many musicians,’ Mayer explained.

John Mayer is the latest musical voice to pay his respects to late Grateful Dead member Phil Lesh who died Friday at age 84

‘Joining the choir of voices to express my sadness in the passing of the great @phillesh,’ the Grammy winner wrote on social media Saturday

‘He played bass in a singular way, climbing up and down the arrangements to give the songs and the players around him the feeling of flight,’ he said, describing the Touch of Gray artist’s musical style.

‘ My heart aches for Bob, Mickey, Billy, everyone’s families, the countless musicians and millions of lovers of @gratefuldead music. ♥️’  Mayer concluded, singling out the surviving Grateful Dead band members. 

‘Well said . May his memory always be a blessing,’ wrote one fan.

‘Love and comfort to all who loved Phil Lesh! I’m grateful to him for all he’s given to the music and culture! Extra love to you Johnny for being you. ♥️⚡️’ penned another.

In his Instagram Stories, Mayer also included pictures of tributes shared by surviving band members Bob Weir and Mickey Hart.  

Lesh once revealed in a 2005 interview on WZLX that Mayer would opened for him for several nights in San Francisco just before New Year’s Eve.

‘I’m going to have John Mayer opening up and John is going to sit in for our midnight set. It’s going to be an interesting three days of music!’ the Searching for the Sound author said at the time.  

Lesh’s death was confirmed on his official Instagram page, which reported that he died ‘peacefully’ on Friday morning October 25.

Mayer described Lesh’s generosity to others. ‘Phil had an open door policy when it came to the music, and gave so openly to so many musicians,’ the rocker wrote of his friend  (Pictured in Patchogue, NY in July 2023) 

Mayer and Lesh worked together on the Phil Lesh & Friends project, which included a lineup of various musicians including Mayer, Phish and the Allman Brothers Band, among others

‘He was surrounded by his family and full of love. Phil brought immense joy to everyone around him and leaves behind a legacy of music and love,’ the announcement on social media read. 

‘We request that you respect the Lesh family’s privacy at this time.’

While no official cause of death has been released, the Associated Press reported that the Berkeley, California native had survived prostate cancer, bladder cancer, and a liver transplant in 1998 brought on by a hepatitis C infection and years of heavy drinking.

The sad news came just days after the announcement that members of the Grateful Dead have been chosen as the 2025 MusiCares Persons of the Year.