Robbie Robertson, The Band co-founder and film composer, dead at 80

Robbie Robertson, five-time Grammy nominee and celebrated songwriter, singer, guitarist and film composer, has died, according to an announcement sent from his publicity agency Costa Communications, Inc. to CNN. He was 80 and died after a long illness.

In a statement, Robertson's manager of 34 years, Jared Levine, said "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.'"

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Robertson had roots in both the Mohawk community at the Six Nations Reserve, as well as the Jewish enclave of his home city's downtown.

He began playing guitar at the age of 10, and six years later joined drummer Levon Helm in the Hawks, the backing band for rockabilly star Ronnie Hawkins. It was there that Robertson received his rock 'n' roll education, which would eventually include future bandmates Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and Garth Hudson.

Robertson would go on to play with Bob Dylan on his legendary "Going Electric" tours in 1965 and 1966.

Moving to Woodstock in 1967, Robertson and his bandmates recorded the groundbreaking "basement tapes" with Dylan before changing their name to The Band and releasing their seminal "Music from Big Pink" album the following year. The album, featuring the Robertson-penned classic song "The Weight," is still considered an inflection point in rock history.

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."