Musicians React To Death Of Jerry Garcia

In Hampton, N.H., last night, Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir turned a scheduled concert into a tribute to his longtime friend and musical partner Jerry Garcia, calling Garcia's death a loss "to anyone who loves music."

"Good music can make bad times better," Weir, one of the original Dead members, told the audience. The show featured his sideband Bob Weir, Rob Wasserman and Ratdog.

"It's a big loss for the world and anyone who loves music," Weir said to reporters before the concert, describing Garcia's life as "a blessing for all of us."

"Perhaps if we're going to dwell on anything, we should dwell on that."

Other reactions

Musicians around the country reacted to Garcia's death:

Bob Dylan said in a statement, "He really had no equal. To me he wasn't only a musician and a friend, he was more like a big brother who taught and showed me more than he'll ever know."

In Mill Valley, Calif., mandolinist David Grisman told The Marin Independent Journal, "Jerry and I were friends for 30 years. It's impossible to put into words the profound impact that he had on my life, both musically and spiritually.

"His love for and commitment to good music of all kinds was 100 percent.

"I'm honored and privileged to have known him and shared so many wonderful moments. As one of his thousands of admirers, I will miss him deeply."

"Good grief," was the reaction of Wavy Gravy, the counterculture figure who has known Garcia since the '60s.

"It's a stunner, but it's something that everyone's been prepped for for a decade. He was the man who always said `yes.' He was a great wit, a jovial intelligent man who will be greatly missed."

"I'm in shock," said a tearful Martin Fierro, a saxophonist who played with Garcia in the '70s band Legion of Mary.

"He was such a beautiful guy. He gave 110 percent through his music, his art work, his public persona. He was probably the shyest guy I ever knew, and on the other hand the most outgoing."

Carlos Santana, who came out of the same '60s music scene as Garcia, called him "a profound talent, both as a musician and as an artist."

Hoop star remembers

And former basketball star Bill Walton, a self-proclaimed Deadhead who went to more than 600 Dead concerts, said: "He was one of those really special people on this planet, a person who had unbelievable skill at what he did in bringing joy and happiness into people's lives."

Information from Reuters and the Associated Press is included in this report.