Bob Weir, Grateful Dead Guitarist and Co-Founder, Dies at 78

Bob Weir, rhythm guitarist and co-founder of the Grateful Dead, has died, his family announced Saturday on Instagram. He was 78.

“It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Bobby Weir,” the statement said. “He transitioned peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, after courageously beating cancer as only Bobby could. Unfortunately, he succumbed to underlying lung issues.”

Weir’s life took a fateful turn in 1963 when, on New Year’s Eve, the 16-year-old heard banjo music drifting out of a store in Palo Alto...