Grateful Dead fan dies during 60th anniversary show in San Francisco

By Aidin Vaziri,
Staff Writer
Aug 7, 2025


Longtime Deadhead Fred Cothard, right, 54, collapsed and died while dancing during Dead & Company’s final set on Sunday — the third night of the band’s 60th anniversary run — according to his family.
Courtesy of GoFundMe/Fred's Legacy: Support Sadie and Sawyer


Dead & Company took the stage for a three-day run of concerts at Golden Gate Park on Aug. 1-3, as the centerpiece celebration of the Grateful Dead’s 60th anniversary.
Alive Coverage/Courtesy of Scoop Marketing

A Michigan man died Sunday during Dead & Company’s final concert in Golden Gate Park, and his family has launched a fundraiser to help cover funeral and travel costs.

Fred Cothard, 54, collapsed while dancing during the band’s set on the third night of their 60th anniversary run, according to his family. His partner, Jody Leddy, said in a Facebook post Wednesday that they were listening to the band perform “They Love Each Other” when he fell.

“I was holding him, talking to him about his kids, and kissing him until hours after the doctor pronounced him,” Leddy wrote. “This is the last photo of us, about two hours before he collapsed.”

No cause of death was provided.

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