Robbie Robertson, leader of The Band, dies at 80

Robbie Robertson, a Canadian musician and songwriter who made his mark in the late 1960s and early '70s as the leader of the influential rock group The Band, died Wednesday after a long illness.

Robbie Robertson, a Canadian musician and songwriter who made his mark in the late 1960s and early '70s as the leader of the influential rock group The Band, died Wednesday after a long illness. He was 80.

His death was announced by his longtime manager, Jared Levine.

"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," Levine's statement said, in part. "He is also survived by his grandchildren Angelica, Donovan, Dominic, Gabriel and Seraphina."

Born Jaime Royal Robertson on July 5, 1943, he was one of the last two surviving members of The Band, an influential rock band that mixed folk, gospel and jazz with rhythm and blues and helped forge a distinctly American kind of roots rock sound. The other is keyboardist Garth Hudson.

Robertson, Hudson, as well as bassist Rick Danko and pianist Richard Manuel, were all born in Canada.