London — Rick Davies, the lead singer and co-founder of British band Supertramp, has died after a long battle with cancer, the band said Monday. He was 81.
Davies, who co-wrote the band’s music with Roger Hodgson, was “the voice and pianist behind Supertramp’s most iconic songs, leaving an indelible mark on rock music history,” the band said in a tribute on its website.
He died Saturday after battling multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, for more than a decade, the band said.
Davies and Hodgson formed Supertramp in 1969 and produced hits including “Goodbye Stranger” and “The Logical Song.” The band’s 1979 album “Breakfast in America” topped charts in the United States and Canada, won two Grammys and sold over 18 million copies.
Davies’ “soulful vocals and unmistakable touch on the Wurlitzer became the heartbeat of the bands’ sound,” the statement said.
Born in Swindon, England, in 1944, Davies had a passion for jazz, blues and rock ‘n’ roll from a young age, the band said.
Hodgson left the band in 1983 and released solo albums. Supertramp disbanded in 1988, though Davies revived it in 1996. The group performed for the last time in Madrid in 2012.
“Beyond the stage, Rick was known for his warmth, resilience, and devotion to his wife Sue, with whom he shared over five decades,” the ban said. “After facing serious health challenges, which kept him unable to continue touring as Supertramp, he enjoyed performing with his hometown buds as Ricky and the Rockets.”
The band’s tribute concluded with a statement it emphasized: “Rick’s music and legacy continue to inspire many and bears testament to the fact that great songs never die, they live on.”
