Mickey Hart called him the real musician of the Grateful Dead.

Jerry Garcia said the band as they knew it died when he did.

He's been gone for 50 years.

On March 8, 1973, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, a founding member of the Dead, died at the tragically young age of 27. It's hard to love the Dead without loving Pigpen. He was all energy, passion, raw talent.

In honor of the band's only ever frontman, here is a list of the Top 10 Pigpen songs.