The surviving members of the Grateful Dead have honored Bill Walton, the NBA Hall of Famer and Deadhead who died on Monday from cancer at 71.
Dead & Company, a Grateful Dead offshoot, posted a statement on social media, writing, “Bill was an irreplaceable force and spirit in our family. He loved this band and we loved him.” Walton attended over 1,000 Grateful Dead shows.
“In many ways, he was our number one fan… but Bill would’ve taken issue with that ranking — Bill insisted that the Grateful Dead was not a competition — and that all Deadheads were equal,” added drummer Bill Kreutzmann, Jr.
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