Robbie Robertson, guitarist and founding member of Canadian band The Band, died aged 80 on Wednesday (9) in Los Angeles. He was undergoing a long treatment for an undisclosed illness.
“Robbie was surrounded by his family at the time of his death, including his wife Janet, his ex-wife Dominique, his partner Nicholas and their children Alexandra, Sebastian and Delphine,” Robertson’s manager Jared Levine said in a statement. .
“Robertson recently completed his 14th musical film project with frequent collaborator Martin Scorsese, ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’.”
Five-time Grammy nominee throughout his solo career, the musician rose to fame writing hits like “The Weight,” “Up On Cripple Creek” and “The Shape I’m In.” The group mixes rock, country and blues.
Robertson left the group in 1976, choosing to pursue a solo career, in which he wrote film scripts, worked on a record company, and began a partnership with Scorsese.
Before leaving the group, the guitarist prepared a farewell event with the members, which included the participation of musicians such as Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan and Ringo Starr. The show was recorded by Scorsese and later became the 1978 feature documentary “The Last Waltz”.
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