Robbie Robertson, co-founder and guitarist for The Band, has died at the age of 80.
The Canadian band leader passed away Monday in Los Angeles. His cause of death was not released.
Robbie Robertson, a five-time Grammy nominee and celebrated songwriter, singer, guitarist and film composer, has died after a long illness, his publicity agency announced. He was 80. https://t.co/wXjcFQNSk1
— CNN International (@cnni) August 9, 2023
"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," his manager, Jared Levine, said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.
"He is also survived by his grandchildren Angelica, Donovan, Dominic, Gabriel, and Seraphina," it added.
Well that hurts...
Robbie Robertson, The Band co-founder and guitarist, dead at 80 https://t.co/i1Wh6Leswv via @nypost
— Mike Lester (@MikeLester) August 9, 2023
"At age 10, he began playing guitar, and in 1960 at the age of 16, he joined drummer Levon Helm in the Hawks, the backing band for rockabilly star Ronnie Hawkins," the New York Post reported.
"The Hawks went on to play with Bob Dylan on tour in 1965 and 1966, after the folk-music star famously decided to 'go electric.' Moving to Woodstock in 1967, Robertson and his bandmates recorded the seminal 'basement tapes' with Dylan before changing their name to The Band and releasing the groundbreaking 'Music from Big Pink' album in 1968," it added.
Robbie Robertson, five-time Grammy nominee and celebrated songwriter, singer, guitarist and film composer, has died. https://t.co/oEiX9oD25f
— KVOA News 4 Tucson (@KVOA) August 10, 2023
"In 1969, The Band performed at the legendary Woodstock Festival before releasing an eponymous album that included the Robertson-composed 'Up On Cripple Creek, and equally classic (and much covered) 'The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,'" CNN reported.
In 1972, "The Band performed before what became the largest rock concert audience in history with an estimated 650,000 people at the Watkins Glen Festival in New York," it continued.
The Band recorded a total of seven studio albums. In addition, Robertson produced a live album for Neil Diamond.
The famed guitarist and composer worked with a variety of music and film stars throughout the 1970s and 1980s, along with solo albums.
The star's many years of playing and producing songs impacted multiple generations of listeners worldwide. His death brings sadness among his fans but also memories of many notable songs from the past.
