Following a lengthy illness, Robbie Robertson, the lead guitarist and the primary songwriter for The Band, has died at age 80.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s songwriting credits include several touchstone songs such as “The Weight,” “Up On Cripple Creek,” “The Shape I’m In,” “It Makes No Difference,” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.”
At 16, Robertson and The Band formed as a backing group for rockabilly singer, Ronnie Hawkins. From there, they went on to become the live backing band for Bob Dylan in 1965.
After The Band’s 1976 farewell concert titled, The Last Waltz was captured on film by Martin Scorsese, Robertson started a different phase of his career. He worked with Scorsese as composer, music supervisor, and music producer and scored several films. Those included Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, The Color of Money, Gangs of New York, The Departed, Shutter Island, The Wolf of Wall Street, Silence, The Irishman and Killers of the Flower Moon.
Members of The Band reunited many times in the decades that followed, but Robertson never rejoined the group. However, from the mid-80’s through the late 90’s, he recorded several solo projects, including a self-titled album in 1987 and Storyville in 1991.
Robbie Robertson was born Jaime Royal Robertson, the son of a Mohawk mother, who was raised on the Six Nations reserve in Ontario, Canada.
According to an announcement from his management, he passed away on Wednesday (6-9) in Los Angeles, surrounded by family.
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