If you lived in the Bay Area in 1995 when Jerry died, u know the outpouring of grief was incredible

[mr_lebowski]

Other than Lennon's ass@ssination, there's never been anything like it for a musical figure ... not MJ, not Prince, not Bob Marley ... nor do I think there ever will be again ... unless MAYBE if Bono tragically passes sometime in the near future.

Literally 100,000+ people made sojourns from across the world, and flooded into San Francisco to celebrate and grieve ... it was incredible. I was there.

And it very likely impacted more people's lives than the death of any other musician in the years that followed. Yes, it was 'their choice' to let it impact them the way it did, but the devotion of the following of the Dead has historically been like NO OTHER band. And I mean it's not even close. Jerry's death, and the subsequent retiring of the Grateful Dead as a recording and touring entity ... at least temporarily shattered the lives of 10's of 1000's of people, no joke.