Entertainment

Singer Joe Cocker Dies At 70

Kaitlan Collins Contributor
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Legendary musician Joe Cocker, famous for his raspy voice and energetic stage presence, died Monday after fighting a long battle with small cell lung cancer, Cocker’s agent Barrie Marshall confirmed. He was 70 years old.

The soul and blues singer-songwriter had a career that spanned four decades, and became famous for his 1968 cover of the Beatles’ “With A Little Help From My Friends,” which he performed at Woodstock in New York in 1969.

Born in 1944, he got started covering Chuck Berry and Ray Charles with his band “Vance Arnold and the Avengers,” and went on to release 22 studio albums, the most recent being “Fire It Up” in 2012. In 1983 Cocker won a Grammy for his duet with Jennifer Warnes, “Up Where We Belong.”

He gave his last concert in June in Hammersmith, London during his arena tour.

Joe Cocker dies

(Photo: Getty Images)

Marshall described him as a “true star,” and said that anyone who saw him perform would never forget him.

“He was without the doubt the greatest rock and soul voice ever to come out of Britain and remained the same man throughout his life,” Marshall said.

Cocker was born in the United Kingdom, but was a longtime U.S. resident and lived on a ranch in Colorado with his wife Pam, who survives him.

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Kaitlan Collins