Bob Weir
By 
When they played “West LA Fadeaway” as an interstitial during the Rams/Panthers game, I didn’t understand the sad double reference until later today:
Bob Weir, a guitarist and songwriter who was a founding member of the Grateful Dead, which rose from jug band origins to become the kings of psychedelic rock, selling millions of records and inspiring a small nation of loyal fans, has died. He was 78.
His family announced the death in a statement on Saturday, saying that Mr. Weir had “succumbed to underlying lung issues” after receiving a cancer diagnosis in July. The statement did not say when or where he died.
The band, which was founded in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1965, blended rock, folk, blues and country, with mellow ease and a gift for improvisation that became its trademark. In a rock milieu that was still based on short songs and catchy hooks, the Grateful Dead created a niche for meandering, exploratory performances that each seemed to have their own personalities.
The band became the pied pipers of the wider hippie movement, providing the soundtrack for 1960s dropouts and LSD dabblers.
R.I.P.