Jerry Garcia's Death: How The Grateful Dead Frontman Died

Jerry Garcia died of a heart attack in August 1995, just a month after he played his final concert with the Grateful Dead at Soldier Field in Chicago.

Jerry Garcia is often hailed as one of the greatest guitarists of all time. The Grateful Dead musician was renowned for his technical skill in multiple instruments, as well as his remarkable ability to improvise — and that raw talent was what helped to make the Grateful Dead such a powerful force in the music scene. But Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995 at the age of just 53 brought his life, and his band, to a sudden, shocking end.

Like many talented artists, Garcia had his demons. He had struggled for decades with substance abuse — particularly heroin and cocaine — and a myriad of health issues including diabetes and weight problems. As he en