Bob Dylan on Levon Helm: 'This is just so sad to talk about'

Bob Dylan, who first started playing music with Levon Helm in 1965, posted this on his web site today in response to the death of The Band's drummer yesterday at age 71.

"He was my bosom buddy friend to the end, one of the last true great spirits of my or any other generation. This is just so sad to talk about. I still can remember the first day I met him and the last day I saw him. We go back pretty far and had been through some trials together. I'm going to miss him, as I'm sure a whole lot of others will too."

The two are pictured to the left, with Rick Danko in the middle. Below, handheld footage of Dylan and The Band playing together at the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970. That's Levon singing on the opening "The Weight," though it takes the cameraman a couple of minutes to find him. My obituary of Helm from Friday's Inquirer is here.

Previously: Listening to Levon Helm Follow In the Mix on Twitter