The late member of The Band composed music for many of Scorsese's legendary films.
Martin Scorsese is paying tribute to his friend and collaborator, The Band guitarist Robbie Robertson.
Robertson died Wednesday in Los Angeles after a long illness. He was 80.
"Robbie Robertson was one of my closest friends, a constant in my life and my work," Scorsese said in a statement to ET. "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," he continued. "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."
Robertson and Scorsese first worked together when the filmmaker made a documentary about The Band's final performance together, which was held on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25, 1976, at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. Scorsese released the film, titled The Last Waltz, to great acclaim and it's still hailed as one of the greatest music documentaries of all time.
Robertson would go on to compose music for a number of Scorsese's films, including Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, Casino, The Departed, The Wolf of Wall Street, and The Irishman, as well as his upcoming film, Killers of the Flower Moon.
"There’s never enough time with anyone you love. And I loved Robbie," Scorsese's statement concluded.
In a statement, Robertson’s manager of 34 years, Jared Levine, told ET, "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 Centre. Contact: tkelley@woodlandculturalcentre.ca."
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