Joe Cocker, the gravelly voiced British singer, died on Monday at his home in Crawford, Colo. He was 70. The cause was lung cancer, his agent, Barrie Marshall, said.
Mr. Cocker became a singer sensation after his performance of “With a Little Help From My Friends” (a Beatles original)at the Woodstock festival in 1969.
In a written statement, Paul McCartney, a former member of the Beatles, who co-wrote the song with John Lennon, recalled hearing Mr. Cocker’s record of the song. “It was just mind-blowing, totally turned the song into a soul anthem… and I was forever grateful for him for having done that,” he said.
His other hits included a version of the Box Tops’ hit “The Letter” and the standard “Cry Me a River,” both in 1970, and “You Are So Beautiful,” in 1975. His only No. 1 single was “Up Where We Belong,” recorded as a duet with Jennifer Warnes for the 1982 film “An Officer and a Gentleman,” for which he won his only Grammy Award.
SOURCE: New York Times
.jpg)
All feeds
