Grateful Dead fan dies at Dead & Company San Francisco concert

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — A Grateful Dead fan suffered a medical emergency while he was dancing at a Dead & Company concert in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park and died, according to his friends and family.

The fan was identified by the San Francisco Chief Medical Examiner as Fred Cothard, 54, of Saint Joseph County, Michigan.

Cothard was one of 60,000 people who attended shows last weekend celebrating 60 Years of the Grateful Dead’s timeless music. Cothard passed away on Sunday, August 3.

His twin children, Sadie Cothard and Sawyer Cothard, are left feeling “unimaginable grief.”

Sadie Cothard wrote on a GoFundMe page, “Our dad was attending their 60th anniversary show in San Francisco when he suddenly collapsed. Even though this was sudden and we were not there with him, we take comfort in knowing that he was surrounded by thousands of his Dead family, and the music that he loved so much.”

His daughter wrote, “Fred was an incredible father and friend to all. His love for us was endless.”

The fan attended the concert with a friend, Jody Leddy. They snapped a photograph smiling together just two hours before Fred Cothard collapsed while dancing to the song, “They Love Each Other,” according to Leddy.

The Grateful Dead formed in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury neighborhood in the mid-60s. Touring into the ’90s, the band spawned legions of “Dead Heads” who would follow the band from gig to gig. Many fans who attended last weekend’s shows traveled from outside the Bay Area to soak in the music.

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