Up to date: 21:33 EST, 17 Oct. 2015 Rock musician Phil Lesh has-been diagnosed with non-aggressive bladder cancer & has canceled a pair of Oct. concerts.
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Lesh, who plays with the band Phil Lesh & Friends, in a statement on the website of his San Rafael, California-based music venue Terrapin Crossroads, said he received the diagnosis early this month and has since received treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona.
However, Lesh calmed fans’ concerns by letting them know that his prognosis is positive and that he expects to make a full recovery. A handful of earlier shows were scrapped due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
Grateful Dead founding member Phil Lesh is battling bladder cancer, he announced in a Facebook post. According the his doctor’s at the Mayo Clinic, he can return to normal activities two weeks after his surgery to remove the tumors. He had Chris Robinson from The Black Crowes scheduled to be featured at the shows.
The bassist joined the Grateful Dead for their Fare Thee Well shows this summer, then chose to resume his solo work while the other three of the band’s “Core Four” surviving members – guitarist Bob Weir and percussionists Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart – made a decision to press on as Dead & Company, a new outfit featuring John Mayer, Allman Brothers bassist Oteil Burbridge and Ratdog keyboardist Jeff Chimenti. However, now he is a member of the band, Phil Lesh and Friends.
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“I also plan to pop in and jam in the bar before we leave, so I hope to see you there at Terrapin”, he added, signing off with “Love will see you through”, a line from “Box of Rain”, a classic Grateful Dead song he co-wrote with Robert Hunter.
