Grateful Dead Lyricist, Internet Pioneer John Perry Barlow Dead At 70

John Perry Barlow, the longtime Grateful Dead lyricist and internet pioneer who co-founded the Electronic Frontier Foundation , died on Wednesday at the age of 70 . 

His cause of death has not been released, but NBC News reported that he had been in poor health since a 2015 heart attack.

Barlow penned numerous classic Dead tunes, including “Cassidy,” “I Need A Miracle ,” “Estimated Prophet ” and “The Music Never Stopped .”

To honor Barlow, Rhino Records created a Spotify playlist featuring some of his best-known tunes: 

Many of Barlow’s songs were co-written with and performed by the Dead’s Bob Weir, both with the band and on his solo albums. Weir paid tribute to his longtime collaborator on Twitter:

Dead and Company, the successor to the Grateful Dead also honored the lyricist: 

In addition to his songwriting career, Barlow was an early activist for online freedom and civil liberties. EFF executive Cindy Cohn said in a statement : 

“It is no exaggeration to say that major parts of the Internet we all know and love today exist and thrive because of Barlow’s vision and leadership. He always saw the Internet as a fundamental place of freedom, where voices long silenced can find an audience and people can connect with others regardless of physical distance.” 

Here are more tributes to Barlow: