Phil Lesh, one of the founding members of the American rock band Grateful Dead, passed away at the age of 84.

The bassist was in the band’s original lineup along with Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann and Ron “Pigpen” McKernan.

On Friday, his death was confirmed in a post on his Instagram account.

It read: “Phil Lesh, bassist and founding member of The Grateful Dead, passed peacefully this morning. Surrounded by his family and full of love.

“Phil brought great joy to everyone around him and leaves behind a legacy of music and love. We ask that you respect the Lesh family’s privacy at this time.”

The statement did not give a specific cause of death, but Lesh had previously survived bouts with prostate cancer, bladder cancer and a 1998 liver transplant necessitated by the debilitating effects of hepatitis C infection.

A classically trained violinist and jazz trumpeter, Lesh found his true calling as a founding member of the Grateful Dead.

The band came to define the acid rock sound that emanated from San Francisco in the 1960s.

Lesh wrote the music for the popular Grateful Dead track Unbroken Chain, which reflects the band’s connection with their audience.

He also sang the sad song Box Of Rain, which he wrote when his father was dying in 1970.

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His death means Weir and Kreutzmann are the only two survivors from the band’s original line-up.

The band disbanded following the death of frontman Jerry Garcia in a drug rehabilitation clinic in 1995 at the age of 53; McKernan died of liver disease in 1973.

Members who later died include Brent Myland, who suffered an overdose in 1990, and Keith Godchaux, who died in a car accident in 1980 after leaving the band.