Jerry Garcia Obituary Trent Testa 6/17/2013

Jerry Garcia Dead at 53 SAN FRANCISCO - Jerome John Garcia, the lead guitarist of the rock band, the
Grateful Dead, died early yesterday morning. He was 53. Garcia was found in his bed at Serenity Knolls, a residential treatment center for drug addiction, at 4:23 a.m. and died of a heart attack, according to the Marin County sheriffs office. He had suffered form diabetes and general ill health for several years. He was an admitted user of heroin and psychedelic drugs such as LSD. The Grateful Dead was more than a band to their millions of devoted fans, known as Deadheads, it was a way of life. Garcia was an original member of the band. Garcia formed the Warlocks rock group in 1964. It became the Grateful Dead in 1966. Among the bands best known songs were Truckin, Casey Jones and Friend of the Devil. In a 1993 interview with The New Yorker, Garcia said he had given up drugs and taken up scuba diving. Its an ecstatic experience, he said. I love it almost as much as I love music. Garcia was born in San Francisco, CA. and son of Jose. Garcia was 5 years old when he witnessed the drowning death of his father. Garcia was raised by primarily his mother, Ruth, who ran a Saloon near the San Francisco waterfront.

Garcia became interested in playing electric guitar and painting when he was 15. He was a devoted reader of Beat Generation writer, Jack Kerouac. Garcia quit high school after one year worked as a salesman and a teacher for a while and before joined the Army. After an early discharge, Garcia took classes at what is now the San Francisco Art Institute. Years later, Garcias abstract art was marketed in a line of neckties that earned him more than $30 million. Funeral arrangements are undecided at this time. Garcia is survived by his wife, Deborah Koons Garcia, four daughters: Heather, 32, Annabelle, 25, Teresa, 21 and Keelin, 6. ###