Before his death, Robertson had just completed the music for Martin Scorsese’s new film to be released in the fall.
Guitarist and main songwriter of the rock group The Band Robbie Robertson is dead, says his manager. Canadian-born Robertson was 80 years old when he died.
As the frontman of the Canadian-American band The Band, Robertson penned the band’s most iconic songs, such as The Weight and The Night They Drove Ol’ Dixie Down.
According to his manager, Robertson was surrounded by his family at the time of his death. The musician’s death was preceded by a long illness.
Robertson joined a rockabilly musician Ronnie Hawkins in the backing band at only 16 years old. The same group also operated in the 1960s Bob Dylan’s as a backing band and with numerous name changes it became The Band.
Longtime friendship with Scorsese
The Band, which also performed at Woodstock, broke up in 1976. The band played their farewell concert in San Francisco, which the Hollywood director Martin Scorsese captured on film in The Last Waltz documentary.
The documentary, released in theaters in 1978, also foreshadows Robertson’s long-term friendship and early collaboration with Scorsese. Robertson worked on the music for several of Scorsese’s films, including Casino and Gangs of New York.
At the time of his death, Robertson had written a sequel to his memoir and had just completed the music for Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, which will be released in the fall.
The director praised his friend as a giant who had been a constant in his life as well as in his work.
– Long before we met, his music had played a central role in my life, Scorsese said.
Robertson did not tour again after The Last Waltz, but released a series of solo records from 1987 onwards.
Watch the band’s farewell concert at Areena: The Band: The Las Waltz
Watch a documentary about The Band’s story, narrated by Robbie Robertson: Once Were Brothers: The Band
Robbie Robertson 1943- 2023 Theme:
Friday 18.8. 22.50 Once Were Brothers: The Band
Saturday 19.8. 22.25 The Band: The Last Waltz