Jerome John was their second child, preceded by Clifford Ramon "Tiff", who was born in 1937. His parents named him after composer Jerome Kern. He was born in San Francisco, California, on August 1, 1942, to Jose Ramon "Joe" Garcia and Ruth Marie "Bobbie" (née Clifford) Garcia.
Jerry Garcia's ancestry was Galician ( Spanish), Irish, and Swedish. Although his overall health improved somewhat after that, he also struggled with heroin addiction, and was staying in a California drug rehabilitation facility when he died of a heart attack in August 1995. Later in life, Garcia was sometimes ill because of his unstable weight, and in 1986 went into a diabetic coma that nearly cost him his life. He was well known by many for his distinctive guitar playing and was ranked 13th in Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" cover story. He also released several solo albums, and contributed to a number of albums by other artists over the years as a session musician. Garcia also founded and participated in a variety of side projects, including the Saunders-Garcia Band (with longtime friend Merl Saunders), Jerry Garcia Band, Old and in the Way, the Garcia/ Grisman acoustic duo, Legion of Mary, and the New Riders of the Purple Sage (which Garcia co-founded with John Dawson and David Nelson). One of its founders, Garcia performed with the Grateful Dead for their entire three-decade career (1965–1995). Though he vehemently disavowed the role, Garcia was viewed by many as the leader or "spokesman" of the group. Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead. Stephen Cripe Custom "Lightning Bolt," Martin D-28, Takamine acoustic-electric guitars Grateful Dead, Legion of Mary, Reconstruction, Jerry Garcia Band, Old and in the Way, Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band, New Riders of the Purple Sage Rhino, Arista, Warner Bros., Acoustic Disc, Grateful Dead Guitar, pedal steel guitar, banjo, vocals Folk rock, jam, bluegrass, country rock, jazz, rock and roll, psychedelic rock, rhythm and blues, blues-rock, jam rock