Where was Garth Hudson living? What we know as last surviving member of The Band dies at 87

Garth Hudson, the last surviving member of the iconic Canadian rock group, The Band, passed away on January 21, 2025. He was 87.

The musician passed away peacefully in his sleep at a nursing home in Woodstock, New York, according to The Independent. He has been reportedly living in an assisted care facility in New York State since the death of his wife, Maud, in 2022.

The Band’s official Instagram page bid him farewell in an emotional post. He said in a statement,

“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."

According to ABC News, Hudson was the oldest and the only classically trained member of the band. He was known for playing the Lowrey organ and the clavinet for tracks like Chest Fever, Up On Cripple Creek, and Rag Mama Rag. He also played saxophones, woodwinds, synthesizers, the accordion, and other instruments for his musical group.

He played with artists like Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Neil Diamond, Norah Jones, Neko Case, and Ringo Starr. Let us delve deeper to understand Garth Hudson’s life and career.

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More details about Garth Hudson’s life

According to his IMDb profile, Garth Hudson was born on August 2, 1937, in London, Ontario, Canada. He was married to Maud Hudson from 1978 till her death in 2022.

He was reportedly born to musically-inclined parents, Fred Hudson and Olive Hudson, who trained Hudson since he was a kid. He joined his first band at the age of 12. In his teens, he spent his days playing saxophone in rock and jazz outfits, as per a report in the LA Times.

The report further mentioned that in 1957, he co-founded the Silhouettes. The band later came to be known as Paul London and the Capers, which was named after their lead singer, Paul Hutchins. He performed under the stage name Paul London. In the late 1950s, Hudson met the other members of The Band.

Hudson was one of the five members of the group, which included guitarist-songwriter Robbie Robertson, keyboardist-vocalist Richard Manuel, bassist-vocalist Rick Danko, and American drummer and vocalist Levon Helm.

They initially were called The Hawks and gained prominence as the backing group for Bob Dylan before establishing themselves as a self-contained band with their own music in 1967 with The Band.

The group called it quits in 1976 following their landmark concert, The Last Waltz, in 1976. Eventually, Hudson continued to work as a session artist. He released two solo albums: the cassette-only “Music for Our Lady Queen of the Angels” in 1980 and “The Sea to the North” in 2001, according to the LA Times. He was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.

Garth Hudson's last public performance was in April 2023, according to a report in ABC News.