Leader of The Band, Robbie Robertson Dies at 80
Just about a month after his 80th birthday, singer-songwriter and guitarist Robbie Robertson, leader of the group The Band, passed away. He died in Los Angeles after a long illness and his management confirmed the sad news.
Magnolia Pictures/Everett Collection
His longtime manager Jared Levin wrote, “Robbie was surrounded by his family at the time of his death, including his wife, Janet, his ex-wife, Dominique, her partner Nicholas, and his children Alexandra, Sebastian, Delphine, and Delphine’s partner Kenny. He is also survived by his grandchildren Angelica, Donovan, Dominic, Gabriel and Seraphina. Robertson recently completed his fourteenth film music project with frequent collaborator Martin Scorsese, ‘Killers of the Flower Moon.’ In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to the Six Nations of the Grand River to support a new Woodland Cultural Center.”
While he is best known for his involvement in The Band and writing songs such as “The Weight,” “Up On Cripple Creek,” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” he also worked as a music producer, composer, and music supervisor on some famous movies including The Departed, Gangs of New York, and The Wolf of Wall Street. Just weeks ago, he had an interview with Variety, talking about his latest project, the highly-anticipated film Killers of the Flower Moon.
Kino Lorber/Everett Collection
Robertson said about working with director Martin Scorsese, “We’re in awe ourselves that our brotherhood has outlasted everything. We’ve been through it; we’ve been there and back. I am so proud of our friendship and our work. It’s been just a gift in life.” His history with The Band was also featured in the 2019 documentary called Once Were Brothers. They were popular in the ’60s and ’70s and eventually had their final tour in ’76.
May he rest in peace.
Where Are They Now - The Seventies
June 2022
Who can forget all the great TV shows, movies and music of the ‘70s?
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