Robbie Robertson's Memorial: Here's How the Industry Celebrated The Band Guitarist's Life

Celebrities and musicians came together to honor Robbie Robertson months after his passing.

The Band frontman and guitarist shocked the music industry when his management confirmed his death on August 9. His manager, Jared Levine, said that the musician passed away after a long illness.

Industry Members Honor Robbie Robertson

On Wednesday, November 15, celebrities and musicians attended the Martin Scorsese-hosted memorial service for Robertson at his Los Angeles studio home, The Village. Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, Citizen Cope, Leonardo DiCaprio and Angela McCluskey were among the attendees.

In the eulogy Scorsese offered, the filmmaker called their first meeting to work on The Band's concert film, "The Last Waltz," a kind of "folie à deux."

"That is, two individuals came together and did something that on their own they wouldn't have done," Scorsese said as he looked back at the two years they spent working on the film.

"During those two years Robbie stayed in the house, we had informal classes," he added, per NME. "Music class for me, film class for him. He introduced me to obscure blues music, gospel, and the Sacred Harp Singers. I introduced him to Sam Fuller movies, Pasolini's Accattone, Visconti."

During the same night, the late musician posthumously received the 2023 Hollywood Music in Media Award for best score for a feature film for his music, "Killers."

Scorsese received a standing ovation for his speech, before the Killers Score Orchestra played the "Killers of the Flower Moon" score started while scenes from the film were shown on screens.

The concert lasted 70 minutes, with musicians playing Robertson's music throughout the night.

Browne also shared a rendition of "Caledonia Mission," which Robertson wrote for The Band's 1968 track "Music From Big Pink."

"This is a song that everybody gets to play one time or another because everybody knows it and no one has to sing it exactly like the record. This is one of those songs that play themselves," Browne continued.

Robertson's family did not disclose the illness he suffered from before his death, but reports revealed that he was creating his follow-up memoir and the scoring for Scorsese's film when he passed away.

His death left Garth Hudson as the only surviving member of The Band.