01/11/2026
You always remember your first…
The Grateful Dead have not only become an inspiration, but a definition and a part of who I am.
In 4th grade, I heard music like I had never known could exist for the first time from a dear friend’s mom who had followed the Dead through countless summer tours. It was later that summer amongst the pop hits like summertime by Will Smith I was given the best gift I ever received, In the Dark by the Grateful Dead, purchased at a Kmart in South Philadelphia. This gift opened a door I didn’t even know existed and would forever change me and forever change who I was.
Bob Weir helped to inspire not just me, but generations, teaching us to keep the peace and to find joy in both the light and the darkness. He helped us understand a little more of who we were each time we saw him and every time we turned their music on.
There is truly no place like home and I’ve never felt more at home than when I’m around those that are just like me dead heads. It’s like the Grateful Dead created a place where you could only dreamed existed and you just couldn’t wait to go back every time you left.
It is with great sadness today that we learned of the passing of . The world has been feeling heavy lately, and this one hits especially hard. In this chaotic, beautiful world, remember the community we feel as Deadheads. If you see something, say something, and carry that peace and camaraderie with you wherever you go.
