British singer-songwriter Joe Cocker has passed away today after a battle with lung cancer. He was 70-years-old. Cocker, a Sheffield, England born singer who rose to fame for his cover of The Beatles' "With A Little Help From My Friends," had just finished touring Europe over the summer. A musical tour-de-force during the 1960s through the 1980s, he scored a No. 1 hit and a Grammy for 1982's "Up Where We Belong," a duet with Jennifer Warnes. The duet would also be used in An Officer and a Gentleman, which won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1982. Additionally, his version of "With A Little Help From My Friends" was used as the theme song for the classic television series The Wonder Years.
Throughout his singing career, he was known for his gritty and impassioned vocal performances. Cocker's his rendition of The Beatles' hit at Woodstock remains one of career highlights.
Cocker also had an impact within hip-hop as well. His song "Woman to Woman" was sampled for Tupac's "California Love." You can immediately hear the infectious piano riff that Dr. Dre sampled in Cocker's original version.
[via Vulture]
