Robbie Robertson, a founder of The Band and a collaborator for both Bob Dylan and Martin Scorsese, died August 9 at the age of 80. Robertson was Scorsese’s music producer starting with 1982’s “The King of Comedy” and they most recently worked together on “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which Apple and Paramount will open this fall.
But Robertson’s most meaningful collaboration with Scorsese was as one of the subjects of the Oscar-winning filmmaker’s 1978 documentary “The Last Waltz,” chronicling The Band’s 1976 concert at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, where Robertson was joined by his bandmates and the likes of Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Neil Diamond, Emmylou Harris, Van Morrison, Neil Young, and Eric Clapton. It was also the swan song for all five original members of The Band.
Five-time Grammy nominee Robertson teamed with Scorsese on various roles as composer, music producer, and music supervisor on “The Color of Money,” “Casino,” “Gangs of New York,” “Shutter Island,” “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Silence,” and “The Irishman.”
Scorsese shared in a statement: “Robbie Robertson was one of my closest friends, a constant in my life and my work. I could always go to him as a confidante. A collaborator. An advisor. I tried to be the same for him. Long before we ever met, his music played a central role in my life — me and millions and millions of other people all over this world. The Band’s music, and Robbie’s own later solo music, seemed to come from the deepest place at the heart of this continent, its traditions and tragedies and joys. It goes without saying that he was a giant, that his effect on the art form was profound and lasting. There’s never enough time with anyone you love. And I loved Robbie.”
Robertson’s manager said in a statement to media, “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.”
Robertson wrote original music for Scorsese’s Osage nation murder drama “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which will open in theaters October 6.
