Iconic British singer Joe Cocker died Monday at the age of 70 after a hard fought battle with small cell lung cancer
Cocker was born May 20, 1944 in Sheffield, England where he lived until his early 20’s. An outstanding interpreter of songs, his successes include a Number One single in the UK in November 1968 with his version of the Beatles' “A Little Help from My Friends” - Joe's career took off after he performed this song at the Woodstock Festival in August 1969.
The singer is also well known for his epic ‘Mad Dogs and Englishmen’ Tour of 1970, which featured over 40 musicians touring 48 cities across the US, resulting in a third gold album by the same name and a concert film.
Cocker won his first Grammy in 1983 on a duet with Jennifer Warnes, “Up Where We Belong”, the theme from the 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman.
He received an OBE (Order of The British Empire) in 2011 for his contribution to music.
Cocker released 40 albums in his 50-year career.
The singer is survived by his wife, Pam; his brother Victor; his step daughter, Zoey Schroeder, (and two grandchildren, Eva & Simon Schroeder.
A private memorial is planned.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Cocker Kids’ Foundation at cockerkidsfoundation.org
