Garth Hudson, the celebrated keyboardist and last living original member of the beloved Canadian-American rock group The Band, died on Tuesday (January 21) at the age of 87. According to Hudson’s estate executor, he “passed away peacefully in his sleep” on Tuesday morning at his nursing home in the Band’s longtime home base of Woodstock, New York. Hudson was a featured player in Ronnie Hawkins’ early band, The Hawks, who played with Bob Dylan during his raucous 1966 tour which featured the folk singer incorporating electric rock and roll into his set for the first time. Hudson was also the recording engineer on Dylan’s legendary Basement Tapes before The Band rose to fame with their celebrated 1968 debut, Music From Big Pink. The Band paid tribute to Hudson on Instagram, calling him “a musical genius and cornerstone of the group’s timeless sound,” who “through his music, [helped] us all feel more deeply and connect to something greater.” (Variety)
