The Grateful Dead honour “the biggest Deadhead in the world”
The remaining members of the Grateful Dead have paid tribute to the late NBA icon Bill Walton, who they labelled as “the biggest deadhead in the world”.
While Walton was best known for his antics on a Basketball court, winning the NBA championship on two occasions with the Portland Trail Blazers and Boston Celtics in 1977 and 1986 respectively, he held a long-standing passion for the Grateful Dead.
After retiring from the sport, Walton moved into broadcasting and became the voice of basketball, but he also made sure to use his space in the media to spread the word of the Grateful Dead. Notably, he hosted a Sirius XM radio show titled One More Saturday Night, named after one of their songs, which allowed him a platform to share his love of the band.
Following a battle with colon cancer, Walton passed away on May 27th at his home in Washington. Since his passing was announced, he has received an outpouring of love, including from the official Dead and Company account on Instagram.
“Fare you well, fare you well, we love you more than words can tell. Bill was an irreplaceable force and spirit in our family,” the message began by stating. The group continued: “Father Time, Rhythm Devil, biggest deadhead ever. Over 1000 shows and couldn’t get enough. He loved this band and we loved him.”
Seeing the band on over 1000 separate occasions is proof of Walton’s dedicated to the Grateful Dead, who offered him an escape outside of his escapades in basketball. Furthermore, in 1978, he travelled with the band for a performance in Egypt, where he made a guest appearance on drums.
Additionally, Bob Weir shared a message to Walton, noting, “Thanks for the wonderful friendship, the years of color commentary -and the Hall of Fame existence that you wore like headlights. Bon voyage ol’ buddy. We’re sure gonna miss you – but don’t let that slow you down.”
Meanwhile, Mickey Heart described Walton as “the best friend I ever had”, adding, “He was the biggest Deadhead in the world and used our music as the soundtrack to his life. After our shows, he would regularly send messages that said, ‘thank you for my life.’ Over 1000 shows, he just couldn’t get enough.”
Heart also discussed Walton’s passion for drumming, recalling how they would play together after enjoying a meal at the former basketball player’s home. He signed off his message by writing, “Bon voyage, old friend, I love you.”
Sadly, Walton is no longer here to witness the Grateful Dead’s residency at the pioneering MSG Sphere in Las Vegas, which began earlier this month. They were originally scheduled to play three shows every week at the new venue until July 13th, but due to demand, they have added more dates which will take them through August.
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