Singer Joe Cocker dies aged 70 after cancer battle

Singer Joe Cocker, best known for his cover of The
Beatles' With A Little Help From My Friends, has died
aged 70.
The Sheffield-born singer 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."
Wakeman told BBC Radio 2: "The great thing is with
someone like Joe is what they leave behind, and
that will be with us for years and years."
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 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 visited 48 cities
across the US.
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 continued: "He was without the doubt the
greatest rock/soul voice ever to come out of
Britain and remained the same man throughout
his life."
Mr Marshall 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".
The former Beatle said: "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."
Other musicians to have paid tribute to Cocker
include Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, who tweeted :
"Goodbye and God bless to Joe Cocker."

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-
songwriter Frank Turner, who wrote : "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".