Ronnie Hawkins, the rowdy rockabilly singer who was instrumental in the formation of the pioneering Americana group the Band, died on Sunday. He was 87.
His wife, Wanda, confirmed his death to the Canadian Press; she didn’t reveal the cause of death but said he’d been in poor health.
The Band’s Robbie Robertson wrote on Facebook, “My heart sank when I heard ‘The Hawk’ just flew into the sunset. The story of the Band began with Ronnie Hawkins. He was our mentor.”
