August 9th will mark the 23rd anniversary of the death of Jerry Garcia. The Grateful Dead icon’s presence still permeates through our music scene and beyond, both with his contributions as a musician in the pioneering force that was the Dead and as an individual who came to represent many higher ideals of joy, gratitude, and creativity. While his loss was a tragedy, his impact continues to be felt today and for decades to come.
Continuing an annual tradition, Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart is once again calling on Deadheads around the world to celebrate the life of Jerry Garcia by participating in the Jerry Garcia Global Moment of Gratitude. On Thursday, at 4 p.m. (PT) / 7 p.m. (ET), Hart hopes that people will engage in a #BeKind moment, suggesting that participants “Call your mom, forgive an old friend, purposefully send light and love out into the universe in honor of Jerry, the music, mother Earth, and mankind.”
This will mark the fourth-annual iteration of the Jerry Garcia Global Moment of Gratitude, with years past boasting over 500,000 virtual participants. You can join the Facebook event here, and read famed Deadhead Bill Walton’s beautiful post about Jerry’s death on Mickey Hart’s website, which was posted last year as part of Bill Walton’s endorsement of the Jerry Garcia Global Moment of Gratitude.