22 December 2014 Last updated at 15:57 ET
Singer Joe Cocker dies aged 70 after cancer battle
BBC News
http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-30582761?print=true
Singer Joe Cocker, best known for his cover of the Beatles' With A
Little Help From My Friends, has died aged 70, his agent has confirmed.
The Sheffield born singer-songwriter had a career lasting more than 40
years with hits including You Are So Beautiful and Up Where We Belong.
His agent Barrie Marshall said Cocker, who died after battling lung
cancer, was "simply unique".
Sir Paul McCartney said he was a lovely guy who "brought so much to the
world".
Cocker's friend Rick Wakeman, keyboard player for the rock band Yes,
called his rendering of With a Little Help From My Friends "sensational"
and said: "He had a voice that was just unique."
"The great thing is with someone like Joe is what they leave behind, and
that will be with us for years and years," Wakeman told BBC Radio 2.
Known for his gritty voice, Cocker - a former gas fitter - began his
singing career in the pubs and clubs of Sheffield in the 1960s before
hitting the big time.
He was propelled to pop stardom when his version of The Beatles' With A
Little Help from My Friends reached number one in 1968.
He performed the song at the famous Woodstock Festival in New York state
a year later.
He was also well-known for his "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" Tour of 1970,
which featured over 40 musicians touring 48 cities across the US,
resulting in a third gold album of the same name and a concert film.
His duet with Jennifer Warnes, Up Where We Belong - from An Officer And
A Gentleman - hit number one and went on to win both a Grammy and an
Academy Award in 1983. He was made an OBE in 2011.
Last year his arena tour across Europe saw him achieve a number one
album in Germany and give what was to be his final concert in
Hammersmith, London, in June.
Mr Marshall said it was with "the heaviest hearts we heard that our
beloved Joe Cocker passed away last night".
"He was without the doubt the greatest rock/soul voice ever to come out
of Britain and remained the same man throughout his life."
He described Cocker as a "true star" who was also "a kind and humble man
who loved to perform".
"Anyone who ever saw him live will never forget him," he added.
'Etched in our memories'
Sir Paul said he would be "forever grateful" to Cocker for turning With
A Little Help From My Friends into a "soul anthem".
"I knew him through the years as a good mate and I was so sad to hear
that he had been ill and really sad to hear today that he had passed away.
"He was a great guy, a lovely guy who brought so much to the world and
we'll all miss him," he added.
Among other musicians who have paid tribute to Cocker, was Beatles'
drummer Ringo Starr, who tweeted: "Goodbye and God bless to Joe Cocker."
BBC arts editor Will Gompertz said Cocker may have had "the finest blues
soul voice ever to come out of Britain".
Aerosmith singer Steve Tyler tweeted: "We loved you forever, we will
miss you always. RIP Joe Cocker."
Another to pay tribute on Twitter was singer song-writer Frank Turner,
who tweeted: "Wow. Sad to hear of Joe Cocker's passing. Incredible singer."
Bryan Adams tweeted: "Joe Cocker has died. RIP my good friend, you were
one of the best rock singers ever."
Meanwhile, Edgar Berger, chairman and chief executive of Sony Music
Entertainment International, who signed Cocker, said he was "one of the
most humble men I've ever met.
He said his voice "will forever be etched in our memories".
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