The last surviving member of The Band, a Canadian multi-instrumentalist celebrated for his musicianship, has passed away.

Garth Hudson, the laconic organ player who lent his unconventional brilliance to classics like Chest Fever and Up on Cripple Creek, passed away today at the age of 87.

Hudson reluctantly joined the Hawks in 1961 under Ronnie Hawkins, along with bandmates Levon Helm and fellow Canadians Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko and Richard Manuel.

After touring for years with the Hawks, the band members, minus Ronnie Hawkins, joined up with Bob Dylan during his controversial switch to an electric format and became known simply as The Band.

Hudson had been living in a nursing home in Woodstock, New York in recent years – where he reportedly passed away this morning in his sleep.