Filmmaker Martin Scorsese has paid tribute to his friend and collaborator Robbie Robertson of The Band who died today at age 80. Scorsese directed The Last Waltz, a concert documentary of The Band’s final show, which is regarded as one of the greatest films of its kind, and Robertson went on to work as musical supervisor on many of his films, including Raging Bull, The Departed, The Wolf of Wall Street, and the upcoming Killers of The Flower Moon.
“Robbie Robertson was one of my closest friends, a constant in my life and my work,” Scorsese wrote in a statement. “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,” Scorsese went on to write. “There’s never enough time with anyone you love. And I loved Robbie.”
You can stream The Last Waltz for free on Tubi and Pluto TV. Watch Scorsese, Robertson and discuss making The Last Waltz on the CBC below.
Read more tributes to Robertson here.