Jerry Garcia (7)

Jerry Garcia
1942-1995
Bearlike Grateful Dead leader
here
Cause of Death: Heart attack after years of heroin addiction
The Dead Bill Gates: Garcia’s estate, valued at $9.9 million at his death, generates millions more annually through recordings, artwork and licensed goods—from area rugs to Clos du Blois’s J. Garcia wine.
Celebrity Deathmatch: Garcia’s estate has been viciously contested by ex-wives, lovers and pals. Captain Trips was posthumously sued by his personal trainer as well as by an acupuncturist, his office manager and a guy who said he babysat him during bad acid trips.
Noodlers Unite: Garcia inspired the entire jam band counterculture, which spawned Dave Matthews and Phish, as well as the worst band names ever, from String Cheese Incident to the Disco Biscuits.
Make It Stop: Beyond the usual icon’s legacy—three biographies, a new biopic project improbably produced by Malcolm in the Middle actor Justin Berfield—the homegrown Garcia recording industry stands as an ideal for post-mortem stardom. The Dead recorded just about everything, with no concerts alike, and the stock of unreleased Dead recordings is valued as high as $400 milion, including a catalogue of 500 Garcia solo concert recordings.