--- description: The Grateful Dead guitarist died 20 years ago, on Aug 9, 1995 title: 20th Anniversary of Jerry Garcia's Death: Read the TIME Obituary image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt24aecd019472e7cf/69885ddf0a4a2244019c5767/garcia.jpeg?branch=production&width=1080&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [History](/section/history/) ## History Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [remembrance](/tag/remembrance/) ## remembrance Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Read TIME's 1995 Obituary for Jerry Garcia ## Video: These are the Grateful Dead's Biggest Fans [Watch (HLS stream): These are the Grateful Dead's Biggest Fans](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/mSkDAyr8.m3u8) (1:34)  _Published 2015-06-25. A look at the devoted fans of the Grateful Dead, known as Deadheads._  by [Lily Rothman](/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Aug 7, 2015 4:00 PM CUT  Jerry Garcia performing with the Grateful Dead at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. on June 19, 1995. Jerry Garcia performing with the Grateful Dead at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. on June 19, 1995.Ebet Roberts—Redferns/Getty Images  by [Lily Rothman](/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Aug 7, 2015 4:00 PM CUT It was exactly 20 years ago this weekend, on Aug. 9, 1995, that Jerry Garcia died at 53, abruptly ending the Grateful Dead’s 30 year run as the world’s foremost jam band. Considering Garcia’s legacy for TIME, Richard Corliss meditated on Garcia’s fans, the impact the band had on American culture and the long trail of the 1960s. As Corliss noted, that strange stew meant that news of Garcia’s death hit the world in way few others could have commanded: --- > “” --- That wake finally took place this year, as the Dead played what was billed as their [final show](http://time.com/3946400/grateful-dead-ticket-record/ "undefined") ever—before [announcing](http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/grateful-dead/6655898/grateful-dead-john-mayer-show-tour "undefined") this week that some members of the band will perform again as Dead & Company starting in October. **_Read the full obituary, free of charge, here in TIME’s archives:_** [The Trip Ends](http://time.com/3833649/jerry-garcia-the-trip-ends/ "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3984558/jerry-garcia-dead-obituary/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3984558/jerry-garcia-dead-obituary/"},"headline":"Read TIME's 1995 Obituary for Jerry Garcia","datePublished":"2015-08-07T16:00:58.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T09:53:50.526Z","description":"The Grateful Dead guitarist died 20 years ago, on Aug 9, 1995","url":"https://time.com/3984558/jerry-garcia-dead-obituary/","keywords":["remembrance","Music"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt24aecd019472e7cf/69885ddf0a4a2244019c5767/garcia.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lily Rothman","jobTitle":"Rothman is managing editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/"}],"articleSection":"History","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt24aecd019472e7cf/69885ddf0a4a2244019c5767/garcia.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Grateful Dead Jerry Garcia","caption":"Grateful Dead Jerry Garcia","creditText":"Ebet Roberts—Redferns/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/history/","name":"History"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/remembrance/","name":"remembrance"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3984558/jerry-garcia-dead-obituary/","name":"Read TIME's 1995 Obituary for Jerry Garcia"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"These are the Grateful Dead's Biggest Fans","description":"A look at the devoted fans of the Grateful Dead, known as Deadheads.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/mSkDAyr8/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-06-25T20:15:20.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/mSkDAyr8.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3984558/jerry-garcia-dead-obituary/","duration":"PT1M34S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3984558/jerry-garcia-dead-obituary/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```