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On August 9, 1995, at 4:23 AM, Garcia's body was discovered in his room at the rehabilitation clinic. The cause of death was a heart attack.[53] Garcia had long struggled with tobacco, drug addiction,[4] weight problems, and sleep apnea,[4] all of which contributed to his physical decline. Phil Lesh, upon hearing of Garcia's death, remarked in his autobiography: "I was struck numb; I had lost my oldest surviving friend, my brother." Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, a longtime Deadhead, stated that he felt as though he had been "kicked in the stomach."

On the morning of August 10, Garcia was rested at a funeral home in San Rafael, California. On August 12, at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Belvedere, Garcia's funeral was held. It was attended by his family, the remaining Grateful Dead and their friends, including former basketball player Bill Walton and musician Bob Dylan, and his widow Deborah Koons, who unceremoniously barred Garcia's other two wives from the ceremony.

On August 13, a municipally-sanctioned public memorial took place in the Polo Fields of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, and was attended by about twenty-five thousand people. The crowds produced hundreds of flowers, gifts, images, and even a bagpipe rendition of "Amazing Grace" in remembrance.

On April 4, 1996, Bob Weir and Deborah Koons spread half of Garcia's cremated ashes in the Ganges River in India, a sacred site to the Hindu. Then, according to Garcia's last wishes, the other half of his ashes were poured into the San Francisco Bay. Deborah Koons disallowed one of Garcia's ex-wives, Carolyn "Mountain Girl" Garcia, from attending during the spreading of the ashes.