Surviving members of the Grateful Dead paid tribute to Bill Walton, NBA Hall of Famer and beloved Deadhead, who died Monday of cancer at age 71.
The band’s offshoot, Dead & Company, released a statement on social media, writing: “Bill was an irreplaceable force and spirit in our family. Father Time, Rhythm Devil, biggest idiot ever. Over 1,000 shows and I can’t get enough. He loved this band and we loved him.
Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann wrote their own heartfelt statements. “Yo Bill, thanks for the trip,” Weir wrote while posting photos with the athlete. “Thank you for the wonderful friendship, the years of color commentary – and the Hall of Fame existence that you carried like beacons.”
Both drummers wrote lengthy tributes, with Hart describing Walton as “the best friend I ever had”, alongside a photo of the duo laughing together. “He called himself the luckiest man in the world, but it was we who were lucky enough to know him, to share the adventure with him,” he said. “He was the biggest Deadhead in the world and he used our music as the soundtrack to his life. After our concerts, he regularly sent messages saying, “Thank you for my life.” …There are things you can replace. And others you can’t. Have a good trip, old friend, I love you.
Meanwhile, Kreutzmann revealed that he had “incredible” stories about Walton and had promised to only share them after Walton’s death. “It is not yet the time because before we laugh, we must first allow ourselves to cry,” he wrote. “Damn. It’s a sad day.
“In many ways, he was our number one fan…but Bill would have disputed that ranking because, even though he won numerous awards during his storied basketball career – including MVP – Bill insisted on the made the Grateful Dead not a competition – and that all Deadheads were equal,” he added. “Every time I play, there will now always be a hole where a seat should be, about ten rows back, in the center, where Bill stood, eyes closed, arms raised, while he felt the music flowing through him. It was a happy place for him and seeing him there was one of mine…I loved Bill Walton. As they say in the land of the dead: May the four winds bring him home safely.
John Mayer, who joined the extended Grateful Dead family as a member of the spinoff band Dead and Company, also shared a tribute, writing that Walton “lived a life that the rest of us could only hope to achieve when of our second (or third) go-around. He had an eye for the really important things, the ones we already know better than to lose sight of, but often miss. One of Bill’s great talents was to reorient you so that you were at his bedside and saw the light of life that he refused to break eye contact with.
Mayer also thanked Walton for helping him find his place in the Grateful Dead universe. Noting the “steep” climb to acceptance in this rarefied field, Mayer said Walton gave him “a huge boost…with his kindness, his encouragement and his friendship.”
“He will be greatly missed, but his approach to life will never be forgotten,” Mayer concluded. “I think it’s really good advice that when times get tough, you’ll be fine if you pretend to be Bill Walton.”
This story was updated on 05/28/24 at 2:02 p.m. ET with a statement from John Mayer.
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