Steve Kerr on passing of Grateful Dead's Bob Weir: 'Sad day, end of an era'
Kerr, who is in his 12th season as coach of the Warriors, said he appreciated Weir's connection, and that of his band, to San Francisco.
SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr began his news conference Sunday afternoon by offering condolences to the family of Bob Weir. The Grateful Dead guitarist passed away at the age of 78, his family announced in a statement Saturday.
“I want to offer condolences to Bob Weir’s family on behalf of the organization,” Kerr said before Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks. “We’re gonna have a moment of silence for him today. Obviously, a legendary figure from right here in San Francisco. It’s a sad day, end of an era, and we honor his life today.”
Kerr, who is in his 12th season as coach of the Warriors, said he appreciated Weir’s connection, and that of his band, to the city of San Francisco.
“I wouldn’t consider myself a Deadhead,” Kerr said. “Probably my biggest connection was reading ‘Season of the Witch’ last year and understanding the roots of kind of the history of San Francisco and what a big role here in the Bay Area. And then, of course, watching Bill Walton over the years and seeing his devotion to the band and the connection that they had. And having Luke Walton here on our staff, really getting an understanding of Bill’s love for the band and how much the band meant to not only Bill but to so many others.”
It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Bobby Weir. We send him off the way he sent so many of us on our way: with a farewell that isn’t an ending, but a blessing. A reward for a life worth livin'. https://t.co/2qdBbh80v1
📸 Chloe Weir pic.twitter.com/rXsHZ4KGlr
— Bobby Weir (@BobWeir) January 10, 2026
Weir, who was diagnosed with cancer last summer, performed at Chase Center, the home of the Warriors in San Francisco, twice as a member of Dead and Company. Kerr respected the fact the Grateful Dead had such an impact on the city itself.
“I think that’s the biggest thing,” Kerr continued. “Just understanding the history of the band right here in the city. Knowing how much that has meant to people in the Bay.”
The Grateful Dead performed its first show at a pizza parlor in Menlo Park on May 5, 1965, under the name The Warlocks. The first time the group performed as the Grateful Dead was Dec. 4, 1965, and the band eventually became a large part of San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury counterculture scene of the ’60s. The group recorded 13 studio albums, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and received a lifetime achievement award from the Grammys in 2007.
Weir was a noted Bay Area sports fan, as were other members of the Dead. The band once sponsored Lithuania’s men’s basketball national team ahead of the 1992 Summer Olympics. The team was competing independently of the Soviet Union for the first time, and then-Warriors guard Šarūnas Marčiulionis helped lead a fundraising effort that the Dead participated in.