Last original member of The Band Garth Hudson dies aged 87

Eric “Garth” Hudson, the last original member of The Band, has died aged 87, the group has announced.

The Canadian musician rose to fame with Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Rick Danko, and Richard Manuel in the group – which put out the songs The Weight, Up On Cripple Creek and The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down – and served as their keyboardist.

A short statement posted on The Band’s official Instagram page said: “Today, we sadly say goodbye to Garth ‘Honey Boy’ Hudson, the last living original member of The Band.

“A musical genius and cornerstone of the group’s timeless sound, Garth once said, ‘I found some true enjoyment in helping people get to the bottom of their feelings.’

“Through his music, he did just that—helping us all feel more deeply and connect to something greater. Rest easy, Garth.”

In 1976, a final concert at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom with Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Neil Young and Muddy Waters in the line-up was made into the Martin Scorsese documentary The Last Waltz, released in 1978.

The Band, who were called The Hawks when they toured with Dylan in the mid-1960s, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

Manuel, was found dead in 1986, Danko died of heart failure in 1999, and Helm of cancer in 2012.

In August 2023, Robertson died aged 80, surrounded by family.

Outside his work with The Band, he performed with the rock band The Call, fronted by Michael Been, and worked with Robertson, Van Morrison, and Leonard Cohen.

In the 2010s, he released Garth Hudson Presents: A Canadian Celebration of The Band, which featured Neil Young, Bruce Cockburn and Blue Rodeo.

Hudson’s wife of four decades, Maud Hudson, with whom he had lived in New York, died in February 2022.

Mrs Hudson, who had a daughter, Tami Zoe Hill, according to her obituary, also sang with him when he was in his 12-piece group The Best! after they released the album Live At The Wolf.