Jerry Garcia

Jerome John Jerry Garcia August 1 1942 August 9 1995 was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead Though he vehemently disavowed the role Garcia was viewed by many as the leader or spokesman of the group As one of its founders Garcia performed with the Grateful Dead for their entire threedecade career 19651995 Garcia also founded and participated in a variety of side projects including the SaundersGarcia Band with longtime friend Merl Saunders Jerry Garcia Band Old and in the Way the GarciaGrisman acoustic duo Legion of Mary and the New Riders of the Purple Sage which Garcia cofounded with John Dawson and David Nelson  He also released several solo albums and contributed to a number of albums by other artists over the years as a session musician He was well known by many for his distinctive guitar playing and was ranked 13th in Rolling Stones 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time cover story Later in life Garcia was sometimes ill because of his unstable weight and in 1986 went into a diabetic coma that nearly cost him his life Although his overall health improved somewhat after that he also struggled with heroin addiction  and was staying in a California drug rehabilitation facility when he died of a heart  attack in August 1995 Description above from the Wikipedia article Jerry Garcia licensed under CCBYSAfull list of contributors on Wikipedia