Grateful Dead ex Tom Constanten suffers broken neck in fall

Former Grateful Dead keyboard player Tom Constanten is recovering from a broken neck sustained when he tripped on a cracked pavement.

The 72-year-old needed the help of a passerby who witnessed Constanten’s fall outside a post office in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Constanten says: “Fell down and broke my neck last Wednesday. Just like they warned me about as a kid.

“I’d driven up to the post office at the top of the hill to mail off a bill, and, knowing there was heavy rain in the forecast, figured it would be better to mail it off inside. I parked the car, and on the way in a bit of uneven pavement tripped me up. I fell, face first, onto the concrete.

“I am so very grateful for the woman who spotted me right away and called 911.”

He goes on to thank the staff at Novant Presbyterian Hospital and in a later update says: “Back at the house. Feeling a lot better. I am humbled by the warmth of support of my wonderful friends. It’s great to catch up on rest, too.

“It was a big help when the doctor told me I could lie down on my side. Yesterday morning, right after taking some pain medication, I got to do just that.”

Constanten played with the Grateful Dead between 1968 and 1970.

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Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022.