RIP: Joe Cocker Has Died at 70

December 22, 2014

Beloved singer Joe Cocker has died following a battle with lung cancer. He was 70 years old.

The gravel-throated soul singer, popular for the gorgeous hit “You Are So Beautiful,” among others, passed away earlier today (December 22) after a long battle with lung cancer, according to his management. Cocker’s agent Barrie Marshall released a statement, saying: “it will be impossible to fill the space he leaves in our hearts.”

A performer at the original Woodstock festival, Cocker was well known for his cover of The Beatles’ “With A Little Help From My Friends,” which was also the name of his first album, released in 1969. He would go on to release 22 solo albums, the last being Fire It Up in 2012. He received a Grammy in 1983 for ‘Up Where We Belong,’ a duet with Jennifer Warnes and in 2007 received an OBE for his contribution to music.

Take a moment to experience the power and passion of Joe Cocker’s voice on his most recognizable song, below.

RIP Joe.

Senior Writer

A senior writer at CraveOnline since 2006, Johnny has reported on music culture around the world for over a decade while setting a higher standard of reviews, editorials, photography and interviews with the industry's biggest names. Johnny has conceptualized and produced a wide range of original Crave features such as the long-running Band of The Month series, the CraveOnstage performance feature, the Music History video series and the Passport travel colum, among others. His Crave coverage spectrum has included Lifestyle, Travel, Film & TV, Politics, Sports, Fashion and Food writing.

A jack of all journalistic trades & master of several, you can also find his work on Antiquiet, Filter, Food Republic, Media Roots, The Owl Mag and beyond. His music photos can be seen on Instagram. Keep up with Johnny on Twitter at @JohnnyFirecloud, and on Facebook.