Martin Scorsese pays tribute to longtime ‘confidante, collaborator, advisor’ Robbie Robertson

Leader of The Band produced soundtracks for 12 of Scorsese’s films

Martin Scorsese has paid tribute to his collaborator of more than 40 years, The Band frontman Robbie Robertson.

Robertson died on Wednesday (9 August) in Los Angeles after a long illness, his management told The Independent.

Before his death, Robertson recently completed his 12th film music project with Scorsese, the forthcoming Killers of the Flower Moon starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Singer-songwriter Robertson began working with the acclaimed director in 1978’s The Last Waltz, a rockumentary about The Band’s farewell concert.

“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,” Scorsese said in a statement reacting to the musician’s death.

“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.

Martin Scorsese and Robbie Robertson in 2002 (Getty Images)

“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,” the director concluded.

In his final interview published two weeks before his death, Robertson spoke to Variety about his work on Killers of the Flower Moon.

“When the Killers of the Flower Moon idea was stirring around and it looked like it could happen, for Marty and me, every once in a while we would be like, ‘Isn’t this amazing, that it’s come to this, that we actually have a story and we have this thing that we’re both in our own way attached to somehow,’” he said.

Obit Robbie Robertson (1978 AP)

“Marty and I are both 80 years old, and we’re getting to do a Western, we’re getting to do a movie about Indians, in our own way.”

“There’s a particular enjoyment in that: ‘Let’s tackle this baby and try to do something magnificent.’ Whenever you’re going into a project, you want to shoot high and, and you want to do some really good work. But on something like this, where its soul is in Indian country – for me, you couldn’t have made something like this up.”

Of his 40-plus year relationship with Scorsese, Robertson said, “We’re in awe ourselves that our brotherhood has outlasted everything. We’ve been through it; we’ve been there and back. I am so proud of our friendship and our work. It’s been just a gift in life.”