Rock Guitarist Garcia Recovering After Slipping Into Diabetic Coma

Jerry Garcia, lead guitarist for the Grateful Dead rock band, has been hospitalized after slipping into a diabetic coma resulting from an infection caused by an abscessed tooth, a band spokesman said. Garcia, 43, was in Marin General Hospital, about 20 miles north of San Francisco.

In a statement Saturday, Marin General Hospital said: “Jerry Garcia is improving and has stabilized. He’s awake and alert and is being treated for diabetes.” A spokeswoman said she did not know how long Garcia’s physicians expect him to remain hospitalized.

Band spokesman Dennis McNally said Garcia lapsed into a coma but was recovering on Friday. “He’s really sick, but he’ll be OK,” McNally said.

Concerts by the Grateful Dead scheduled for Saturday and today at the Ventura County Fairgrounds were canceled, and the promoter said they would take place July 19 and 20 at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View.