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Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia (August 1, 1942 - August 9, 1995) was an American musician, songwriter, and artist of Galician origin best known for being the lead guitarist and vocalist of the psychedelic rock band the Grateful Dead. Garcia was viewed by the media as the leader or "spokesman" of the group. Performing with the Grateful Dead for its entire three decade career (which spanned from 1965 to 1995), Garcia participated in a variety of side projects, including the Jerry Garcia Band, Old and in the Way, the Garcia/Grisman acoustic duo, and Legion of Mary. Garcia co-founded the New Riders of the Purple Sage with John Dawson and David Nelson. He also released several solo albums, and contributed to a number of albums by other artists over the years as a session musician. He was very well known by many for his highly distinctive guitar playing and was ranked 13th in the Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time cover story. Later in life, Garcia was sometimes ill due to his unstable weight, and he experienced a diabetic coma that nearly cost him his life in 1986. Although his overall health improved somewhat after that, he also struggled with chronic heroin addiction, and was residing in a drug rehabilitation facility when he died of a heart attack in August of 1995.
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