In Memoriam | Grateful Dead Manager Rock Scully

By Scott Bernstein Dec 17, 2014 • 6:30 am PST

In Memoriam | Grateful Dead Manager Rock Scully
Rock Scully, who managed the Grateful Dead from 1965 to 1985, has died after a long battle with lung cancer according to Monterey County Weekly. Scully also co-wrote Living With The Dead about his time managing the band, which was released shortly after Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995.

Rock Scully’s relationship with the Grateful Dead pre-dates the familiar name of the band as he first saw them perform as The Warlocks at an Acid Test. Scully, who was brought into the inner circle by Owsley “Bear” Stanley, helped secure the Dead record deals, concert bookings and festival appearances at such legendary events as Woodstock and Monterey Pop.

Scully’s brother Dicken forwarded the following note to Monterey County Weekly:

Rock died peacefully a few hours ago.. After last night, he never regained alertness … It was amazingly without much suffering and family members could say their farewells last night… I can tell you more later… Please spread the word for me.

Rock pulled no punches in describing his account of managing the band in the tell-all Living With The Dead. He even recounts his controversial 1985 parting of ways with the Grateful Dead within the tome after spending much of the book focusing on the 1965-1970 era. Recently, Scully participated in the 2013 Billboard Touring Conference’s keynote case study “The Golden Road: Lessons Learned From the Dead.”

Rock Scully was 73-years-old.

Grateful Dead lyricist John Perry Barlow took to Twitter to share a few thoughts on a man he accused of the “occasional con”:

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