Grateful Dead Lawyer Dies

Harold Kant, 77, the longtime lawyer to the Grateful Dead, died of cancer at his home in Reno, Nev., Oct. 19.

Kant, who organized all the recording and music publishing deals for the Dead, “was renowned for being ahead of his time in working to protect artists’ and songwriters’ rights,” his son Jonas told the Los Angeles Times. The lawyer also helped enlist a firm to enforce the band’s trademarks for lucrative deals.

Aside from the Grateful Dead, Kant represented artists including Sonny & Cher, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Big Brother & The Holding Company.