Playing in the Grateful Dead 'turned out to be life,' said Phil Lesh, founding bassist for the band who died Oct. 25 at the age of 84.

His thundering bass lines provided brilliant counterpoint to lead guitarist Jerry Garcia's soaring solos, anchored band's famous marathon jams

Bassist Phil Lesh, whose dense, inventive playing powered the Grateful Dead and, following the 1995 death of guitarist Jerry Garcia, many of the San Francisco band’s touring reincarnations, died Friday. He was 84.