Singer Joe Cocker Dead at 70

British singer-songwriter Joe Cocker has passed away at the age of 70. The Huffington Post reports that he died after a long battle with lung cancer. His rep, Sony Music, released the following statement:

John Robert Cocker, known to family, friends, his community and fans around the world as Joe Cocker, passed away on December 22, 2014 after a hard fought battle with small cell lung cancer. Mr. Cocker was 70 years old.

Joe Cocker was born 5/20/1944 in Sheffield, England where he lived until his early 20’s. In 2007 he was awarded the OBE by the Queen of England.

His international success as a blues/rock singer began in 1964 and continues till this day. Joe created nearly 40 albums and toured extensively around the globe.