Paul McCartney pays tribute to Bob Weir: “A great musician who inspired many people”

Paul McCartney has paid tribute to the late Grateful Dead musician Bob Weir. On January 10, news emerged that the legendary rhythm guitarist had died after succumbing to “underlying lung issues” following a battle with cancer . “He transitioned peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, after courageously beating cancer as only Bobby could,” a statement on Weir’s official social media accounts read, triggering an outpouring of tributes from across the music world. Now, McCartney has paid tribute to Weir in an Instagram post shared yesterday (January 15). “Bob Weir was a great musician who inspired many people of many generations,” he wrote, alongside a photo of the two of them at McCartney’s 2016 Boston concert. He goes on to write about their last meeting: “I last saw Bob when we went to the Sphere in Las Vegas to watch Dead and Co,” he said. “He was very welcoming, and during the interval in the show he invited us into his trailer, and it was a special moment to meet his family and friends. “Bob showed me the recording set up that he had in the back of the bus so even though he was on tour he could make and record music; I offered to play the bass on one of the tracks he played me but unfortunately that never came to pass.” McCartney went on to say that he found Weir’s sense of humour, friendship, and musicianship inspiring, and he sent condolences to Weir’s family. Other previous performances revisited by fans since Weir’s death include the Dead & Company shows held August, in celebration of the Dead’s 60th anniversary. Weir was diagnosed with cancer in July 2025, and, as reflected in the statement announcing his death, “began treatment only weeks before returning to his hometown stage for a three-night celebration of 60 years of music at Golden Gate Park”. Those shows marked Weir’s final public performances - and you can check out what he played here . Nodding to Weir’s wide-ranging influence on contemporary music, Mark Beaumont wrote for NME : “Weir’s impact on subsequent generations of American rock music was perhaps best evinced by a 2015 Dead tribute box set compiled by The National’s Bryce brothers, ‘Day Of The Dead’. “The set featured contributions from a vast array of intergenerational acolytes including The Flaming Lips , Sharon Van Etten , Kurt Vile , Stephen Malkmus , The War On Drugs and Perfume Genius . “Freak flags are flying at half mast across rock music tonight.” The Empire State Building also honoured the late musician with a tie-dye light display last week .

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