Poet and author Robert Hunter, who was most famous for writing the lyrics for many Grateful Dead songs, died Tuesday evening at the age of 78, his family confirmed.
“It is with great sadness we confirm our beloved Robert passed away yesterday night,” the Hunter family said in a statement, first reported by Rolling Stone. “He died peacefully at home in his bed, surrounded by love. His wife Maureen was by his side holding his hand. For his fans that have loved and supported him all these years, take comfort in knowing that his words are all around us, and in that way his is never truly gone. In this time of grief please celebrate him the way you all know how, by being together and listening to the music. Let there be songs to fill the air.”
Throughout his collaborations with the Grateful Dead, Hunter mostly provided lyrics to Jerry Garcia’s songs—perhaps most famously in “Dark Star,” “Uncle John’s Band,” “Brokedown Palace,” and the band’s biggest radio hit “Touch of Grey.” Hunter’s other famous musical collaborations included co-writing with Bob Dylan his 1980s classic “Silvio” as well as nearly all of the songs on the rock icon’s 2009 album Together Through Life.
Read it at Rolling Stone
