Grateful Dead keyboardist Merl Saunders dies

Keyboardist Merl Saunders, who had a long-term collaboration with Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead, has died at the age of 74 of complications linked to a stroke he suffered six years ago, his family said.

His family paid tribute to the jazz and rock musician, whose favored instrument was the Hammond B3 organ, saying they were sad to lose him and comforted by the affection from his fans.

"Merl Saunders stood for music and love — his smile alone told you that," the family said in a statement on his website.

"He was a special man, a beautiful companion, father, grandfather, and family patriarch, and the proof of that spirit is in the way you've reached out to us at his passing."

Saunders played on the Grateful Dead's 1971 album Grateful Dead, but it was his collaborations with Garcia away from the group that earned him lasting notice.

They recorded several albums together, including Heavy Turbulence, Fire Up and Live at the Keystone and years later, Blues From the Rainforest.

Saunders played with a young Johnny Mathis at his San Francisco high school but also worked with artists such as Bonnie Raitt, B.B. King, jazz legend Miles Davis and the jam band Phish.

The family said a memorial service would be held on Oct. 29 in San Francisco for Saunders.

In 2000, Saunders became the first recipient of the lifetime activist award from a Florida environmentalist group for his environmental activism.