Long time collaborator and lyricist for the Grateful Dead, John Perry Barlow, has passed away at the age of 70. Barlow passed away in his sleep after a long battle with various health problems.
Barlow was born on October 3, 1947 in Wyoming. He attended the Fountain Valley School in Colorado Springs, Colorado starting at age 15. There, he met fellow student Bob Weir. John Perry Barlow and Bob Weir forged a friendship that lasted through Barlow’s death. Weir went on to become a founding member of the Grateful Dead and in 1971 recruited his old friend as a writing partner. The Barlow/Weir songwriting team yielded dozens of iconic songs including “Cassidy,” “Throwing Stones,” “Hell In A Bucket,” “Lost Sailor,” “Saint Of Circumstance,” “Black-Throated Wind,” “The Music Never Stopped,” “Lazy Lightning/Supplication,” “Looks Like Rain” and “Mexicali Blues.”
Barlow was the founder of Electronic Frontier Foundation, the leading nonprofit organization defending civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF champions user privacy, free expression, and innovation through impact litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism, and technology development.
