Robbie Robertson, Leader of The Band Dies at 80

Lead guitarist and Songwriter for Canadian-American group, The Band, Robbie Robertson has died at age 80.

A statement from his family read “Robbie was surrounded by his family at the time of 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.”

His manager of 34 years, Jared Levine said he died on Wednesday in Los Angeles after a long illness.

The Band included Drummer-Singer Mark “Levon” Helm, Songwriter-Singer Rick Danko, Keyboardist-Singer-Songwriter Richard Manuel and Singer Garth Hudson. The Band was prominent in the late 1960s.

Robertson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Canadian Music Hall of Fame as a member of the Band. He is ranked 59th in Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of the 100 greatest guitarists.

He wrote songs like “The Weight”, “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”, and “Up on Cripple Creek.” He is also credited for his solo hit “Broken Arrow.”

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