Phil Lesh RIP

Lesh in 1992, photo by NorthfotoBP/Bigstock.com

Birth Name: Philip Chapman Lesh

Date of Birth: March 15, 1940

Place of Birth: Berkeley, Alameda, California, United States

Date of Death: October 25, 2024

Ethnicity: English, German [including Swiss-German], Scottish, small amount of Dutch, remote Norwegian and French

Phil Lesh was an American musician and songwriter. He was a founding member of rock band Grateful Dead, in which he sung and played the bass. The band’s members also included Jerry Garcia, Bill Kreutzmann, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, and Bob Weir. He was also a member of rock bands The Other Ones and The Dead, both with Kreutzmann and Weir, and Furthur, with Weir; founded side project Phil Lesh and Friends, an homage project to Grateful Dead; operated music venue Terrapin Crossroads; and was a part of the Lesh family band, with Phil, Cory, Heidi, and Joseph Lesh.

Phil was the son of Barbara Jewel and Frank Hamilton Lesh. Barbara was adopted by her stepfather Arthur Chapman, and the identity of her biological father is not publicly known. With his wife, Jill, Phil administered the charitable organization the Unbroken Chain Foundation.

Phil’s paternal grandfather was William Bennett Lesh (the son of Daniel Webster Lesh and Flora Sophia Fulkerson). William was born in Ohio. Flora was the daughter of William Shakespeare Fulkerson and Charity Gearhart.

Phil’s paternal grandmother was Mary Adele Graham (the daughter of Hamilton Graham and Angeletta Webb).

Phil’s maternal grandmother was named Jewel Caroline Schmidt. Jewel was born in California. Her surname indicates German ancestry.

Source: Genealogy of Phil Lesh – https://www.geni.com