Bassist Phil Lesh joined soon after, and they became the Grateful Dead. McKernan played around with decidedly cooler-sounding names, first dubbing himself "Blue Ron," before going for "Pigpen." Following a hiatus, he resumed touring with the group in December 1971 but was forced to retire from touring altogether in June 1972. The cause of death was undetermined. By the early 1970s, he also began to experience symptoms of congenital primary biliary cholangitis, a rare autoimmune disease which was unrelated to his use of alcohol. [51] McKernan rejoined the band in December 1971[25] to supplement Godchaux on harmonica, percussion, and organ. Ron was the son of Esther Elvera (Nelson) and Phillip Charles McKernan, a disc jockey. As years went on, The Dead adopted a different musical tone after Pigpen's death, something that leaned closer to jazz. A lifetime of alcoholism combined with hepatitis he contracted during the band's 1972 European tour severely damaged Pigpen's health. In light of the horrible tragedy in Little Rock on Sunday with the death of a young man of 24 years of age, I wanted to warn other young people of the dangers of alcohol and drugs. His father was a rhythm and blues disk jockey, so Pigpen got exposed to that type of music at an early age. McKernan's alcohol abuse had begun to affect his health by his mid twenties. Buried: Palo Alto, CA. He was a founding member of the San Francisco band the Grateful Dead and played in the group from 1965 to 1972. He began to alternate between the Vox Continental and the Hammond B-3 in June 1967, usually reserving the former instrument for outdoor and impromptu concerts, including the band's performance at the Columbia University protests of 1968. Afterward, he broke off all personal relationships with the band, explaining, "I don't want you around when I die.". "[55], On March 8, 1973, aged 27, he was found dead of a gastrointestinal hemorrhage at his home in Corte Madera, California, by his landlady. He was a founding member of the San Francisco band the Grateful Dead and played in the group from 1965 to 1972. [61], "He's Gone", originally appearing on the live album Europe '72, subsequently became a eulogy to McKernan by his former bandmates. Born on September 8, 1945 in San Bruno, California as Ronald Charles McKernan, the musician grew up listening to R&B and blues courtesy of his DJ father, Phil McKernan. But unlike Joplin, Pigpen's passing was actually due to congenital biliary cirrhosis, a rare autoimmune disease that is unrelated to alcohol use. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com: accessed ), memorial page for Ronald C. “Pigpen” McKernan (8 Sep 1945–8 Mar 1973), Find a Grave Memorial no. Although manager Rock Scully alleged that McKernan passed out in front of his Hammond organ at one show during this period, Garcia biographer Blair Jackson has lauded the quality and frequency of his instrumental contributions on the Europe '72 tour. [38], McKernan was close friends with American singer-songwriter Janis Joplin due to common musical influences and lifestyles, particularly a shared love of alcohol over other drugs;[39] a poster from the early 1970s showed them together at 710 Ashbury. "[3] Kreutzmann said McKernan was "the sweetest guy anybody had ever met. The son of one of the first white rhythm and blues disk jockeys, McKernan grew up around music. Ron "Pigpen" McKernan was the first member of the Grateful Dead to pass away. He had a liver problem, but it was a burst doudenal ulcer which caused his death from internal bleeding. In the mid 1960s, he with musicians Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir, formed the band The Grateful Dead and released their self-titled album on … In light of the horrible tragedy in Little Rock on Sunday with the death of a young man of 24 years of age, I wanted to warn other young people of the dangers of alcohol and drugs. [56] McKernan was buried at the Alta Mesa Memorial Park in Palo Alto, California. Official Sites. Especially with the guys rolling through as regular special guests. The band's earliest sets centered around blues and R&B covers chosen by McKernan. Ron “Pigpen” McKernan and Barry McGuire fell into these traps. [60] Jimmy Reed's "Big Boss Man", covered by the group on Grateful Dead (Skull and Roses) with McKernan singing lead, was revived by Garcia and performed occasionally through the 1980s and 90s. 1724, citing Alta Mesa Memorial Park, Palo Alto, Santa Clara County, California, USA ; Maintained by Find A Grave . Above: Ron ‘Pigpen’ McKernan (1945-1973) photographed in 1972 (Image credit: Getty) The 80s began with new keyboard player Brent Mydland replacing Keith and Donna Godchaux, and the release of the patchy Go To Heaven album, whose cover made the group look like ageing New Romantics. McKernan struggled to keep up with the changing music, causing the group to hire keyboardist Tom Constanten, with McKernan's contributions essentially limited to vocals, harmonica, and percussion from November 1968 to January 1970. Ron 'Pigpen' McKernan died on March 8, 1975. Ron McKernan — better known as “Pigpen” — was born on Sept. 8, 1945, in San Bruno, Calif. His father was one of the first white rhythm and blues disc jockeys, and so McKernan grew up amidst black music and culture, which would influence him later on. Even with their tendency toward wild experimentation, he kept those blues roots strong. Ronald Charles McKernan (September 8, 1945 – March 8, 1973), known as "Pigpen", was an American singer and musician. Ron "Pigpen" McKernan was the first member of the Grateful Dead to pass away. [3] Onomastician Adrian Room has suggested McKernan was given the name due to his untidy and unclean habits[8] and band biographies say he got the nickname owing to his similarity to Pig-Pen, the permanently-dirty character in the comic-strip Peanuts. The combination of Crohn's and alcoholism would make a lot more sense than an otherwise healthy 27 year old drinking himself to death. [4] During the band's first year when they played straightforward blues, McKernan performed the majority of lead vocals, attracting an early audience that came specifically to see him sing and play harmonica. He started playing blues organ, harmonica, and providing vocals, beginning with the Zodiacs and Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions, as Beacham Journal tells us. He continued to be a frontman in concert for some numbers, including his interpretations of Bobby Bland's "Turn On Your Love Light" and the Rascals' "Good Lovin'". [17] He went from contributing to every song and singing lead on all of side two of 1968's Anthem of the Sun to little more than sporadic appearances on the following year's Aoxomoxoa. McKernan's landlady found his body at his home in Corte Madera, California, on March 8, 1973. Ron “Pigpen” McKernan was an American, singer, songwriter, and musician. Would have been a great outlet for the more edgy blues the boys got back into in the 80s. Charlie." He composed the infrequently performed "Operator" for 1970's American Beauty. Around 1965, McKernan urged the rest of the Warlocks to switch to electric instruments. Where is Ron Pigpen McKernan grave? The 1971 live album Grateful Dead featured three overdubbed organ parts from Merl Saunders in addition to McKernan's contributions on "Big Railroad Blues", "The Other One", and "Me & Bobby McGee". [19][20] Following his discharge from the United States Air Force in November 1968, Constanten officially joined the band, having only worked in the studio while on leave up to that point. If that is the case he did not necesariliy suffer from cogenital liver … Ron "Pigpen" McKernan from the grateful dead died at age 27...just look at those names we all mentioned and imagine the band they could form...wow thats kinda sad...no its really sad ... Name: Ron “Pigpen” McKernan. Pigpen was born Ron McKernan on September 8, 1945 in Palo Alto, California, where he also grew up. On March 8, 1973, Ron McKernan died at age 27. [27], McKernan sang lead on several standards he wanted the Dead to cover, such as Otis Redding's "Pain in My Heart" and Wilson Pickett's "In the Midnight Hour", with the latter serving as one of the band's main improvisatory vehicles from 1966 to 1968. Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, the influential co-founding member of the Grateful Dead, sadly died on this date in 1973. He was a member of the rock band Grateful Dead, in which he sung and played the keybord. By 1971, his health had been affected by alcoholism and liver damage and doctors advised him to stop touring. Hunter said "it became an anthem for Pigpen". [27] With the exception of select acoustic sets in 1970 in which he played acoustic upright piano,[28] he used the Hammond exclusively thereafter. [10] Drummer Bill Kreutzmann was added and the band evolved into the Warlocks. Producers Terry Allen Fraser and Diana Raquel Sainz are embarking on a feature film about the music and life of Ron “Pigpen” McKernan. https://www.geni.com/people/Ron-Pigpen-McKernan/6000000034842914770 Road manager Jon McIntire commented that "Pigpen was relegated to the congas at that point and it was really humiliating and he was really hurt, but he couldn't show it, couldn't talk about it. The combination of Crohn's and alcoholism would make a lot more sense than an otherwise healthy 27 year old drinking himself to death. The vocalist and keyboardist proved responsible for the band's blues-based tone, even taking over singing duties on tunes such as "Turn on Your Lovelight," "Alligator," "Big Boss Man," and "Mr. ... Two years after her death, her brother came out to the public stating that he believes it was her eating disorder that killed her. There have been rumors that his death was a result of his excessive drinking, but in fact, his real cause of death was a rare and unrelated disease, as reported by Ultimate Classic Rock. Ronald Charles McKernan (September 8, 1945 – March 8, 1973), known as Pigpen, was an American singer and musician. By mid-1972, his health had deteriorated to the point that he could no longer perform, as told in A History of the 27 Club. 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