The lead singer for the British rock band Supertramp has died at the age of 81.
Rick Davies had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma more than 10 years ago, The New York Times reported.
The band said Davies was “the voice and pianist behind Supertramp’s most iconic songs, leaving an indelible mark on rock music history.”
Not only was he the lead singer of the band, but he also co-wrote some of the group’s biggest songs, including “Bloody Well Right’ and ”Goodbye Stranger," the BBC reported.
Davies was born in Sindon, England, where as a child, he found a Gene Krupa album, starting him on his path to a music career. He loved jazz, blues and Ray Charles, but picked up the drumsticks first, then taught himself how to play piano, The New York Times reported.
He had been in a couple of bands that led him to Stanley August Miesegaes, a Dutch millionaire who encouraged Davies to start a new band.
He put an ad in “Melody Maker” magazine in 1969 looking for new bandmates and, with backing from Miesegaes, how Supertramp came to be, according to the BBC.
They hit the charts with their third album, 1974’s “Crime of the Century,” and then made it big in the U.S. with “Breakfast In America” five years later.
The album, which included “The Logical Song” and “Goodbye Stranger,” sold more than 30 million copies worldwide and was nominated for two Grammy Awards, including album of the year.
Roger Hodgson, the band’s other frontman, left the group in 1983, but Davies stayed around, touring with Supertramp. They were going to reunite in 2015, but Davies’ cancer diagnosis forced the cancellation, the BBC reported.
Davies continued to perform locally as part of Ricky and the Rockets.
“Rick’s music and legacy continue to inspire many and bears testament to the fact that great songs never die, they live on,” the band said.
Davies leaves behind his wife, Sue Davies, The New York Times reported.
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