Singer Joe Cocker, best known for his cover of the Beatles' With A Little Help From My Friends, has died aged 70, after a battle with lung cancer Radio New Zealand reports.
Known for his gritty voice Cocker began his singing career in the pubs and clubs of Sheffield in the 1960s before hitting the big time.
Tributes have poured in for the singer-songwriter whose career lasted more than 40 years with hits including 'You Are So Beautiful' and 'Up Where We Belong'.
Sir Paul McCartney said he was a lovely guy who "brought so much to the world" while fellow Beatle Ringo Starr expressed his sadness via Twitter.
Cocker was made an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 2007 and last year broke all his own records in arenas across Europe, with a number one album in Germany and what was to be his final concert in Hammersmith, London, in June.