Dead & Company honor the late Bill Walton with a huge floral arrangement in a touching tribute

Dead & Company paid tribute to longtime Grateful Dead fan Bill Walton with dozens of giant roses during the band’s first show since the NBA legend’s death earlier this week.

The NBA Hall of Fame center, who died Monday after battling cancer, said he learned “how to be a champion” from the Grateful Dead and wrote in his 2016 memoir that he attended more than 850 of the band’s concerts.

He was 71.

Dead & Company – a spin-off band featuring members of the Grateful Dead – showed their appreciation for the late 6-foot-tall Deadhead with a rendition of “Fire on the Mountain” during the band’s performance at the Sphere in Las Vegas on Thursday.

The venue’s 15,000-square-foot screen has shown photos of the NBA icon supporting the Dead and Dead & Company at numerous shows and events over the years.

A sea of ​​roses poured out between the images before a tie-dye graphic reading “WALTON 32” appeared on the screen, a nod to the NBA legend’s jersey number.

The Las Vegas crowd roared with applause as the band finished their performance while the graphic remained on the screen.

Mickey Hart, percussionist for Dead & Company and drummer for Grateful Dead, paid tribute to Walton on social media before the concert.

“Tonight we pulsate, we vibrate, we dance for Bill. The BIGGEST Deadhead in the world!” he wrote.

Dead & Company wrote in a social media post following Walton’s death that the band “loves him more than words can express.”

“Bill was an irreplaceable force and soul in our family. Father Time, Rhythm Devil, the greatest Deadhead of all time. Over 1000 shows and he couldn’t get enough of it. He loved that band and we loved him.” wrote Dead & Company on X.

Pearl Jam also paid tribute to Walton with a Performance of “Man of the Hour” during the band’s show in Seattle on Tuesday.

Lead singer Eddie Vedder said in a speech during the concert that Walton was a “big man with a huge heart“, who left behind him a broad path of “peace and love.”

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