When he was about 5, Jerry Garcia had part of his right middle finger accidentally chopped off by his older brother, but that was nothing compared to watching his father drown on a fishing trip shortly after. This event was so traumatic that nobody thereafter could make him do anything he didn't want to do. He said the bad stuff happened in the beginning of his life and then things became wonderful, or something to that effect.
He was a reluctant leader, because he was essentially just interested in making music, not managing affairs, including his own. This resulted in messy relationships with his women, children, and the band and turned him more and more into a recluse during the last ten years of his life. He hated the responsibilities of leading a corporation with 30 some employees who depended on him for their livelyhood(something all succesfull entertainers have to deal with)The popular successes of the GD in the early nineties became a huge burden to him from which he attempted to escape with his beloved "persian heroin", which incidentally did not cause his death. What did him in was cigarettes, lack of exercise and bad nutrition which led to serious health problems including diabetes and cardiomyopathy. By the time he agreed to seek medical
help, his body had deteriorated irreversibly. While I'm not sure that I'd label addiction a sickness, there are addictive personalities, and Garcia, by his own admission
fit that profile. However, how he died and what he could have done diffently to prolong his life is irrelevent to me. I'm grateful for the music he gave us, and I miss him.
May he rest in peace.
