Singer Joe Cocker, best known for songs such as 'Feelin' Alright,' 'You Are So Beautiful," and his cover of The Beatles' "With A Little Help From My Friends," passed away at his home in Colorado at age 70.

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His agent Barrie Marshall said that the crooner died after battling small cell lung cancer.

He praised Crocker for being a singer who was "simply unique."

Crocker is hailed for his raspy voice, bombastic shrieks and barrel-chested tone, enabling him to carve for himself a trademark for his flailing hand motions, which fans and critics look at either as a sign of pain and affliction or possession, writes New York Daily News. That, however, gave him the image of an artist so passionate to the pain and truth of the material, enough to make him one of the most memorable British blues singers.

With a career that spanned over 40 years, the crooner also enjoyed success in such songs as Up Where We Belong.

A son of a civil servant, John Robert Cocker was born on May 20, 1944 and grew up in Sheffield.

He was a gas fitter while working on the sides in local pubs and clubs until he shoot to stardom when he sang the cover of the Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends." The single was a huge hit in UK in 1968, enabling him to perform live in Woodstock in 1969.

Crocker also sang a version of the song, which became the theme of the TV series The Wonder Years.

He continued his success through the 1970s with 'The Letter" in 1970, and his cover of Billy Preston's "You Are So Beautiful" in 1975. The song reached number five in the US.

He collaborated with Jennifer Warnes for the song, "Up Where We Belong", which won during the 1983 Grammy Awards and went on to become No. 1 in the US charts.

Among other honors he received included the bronze Sheffield Legends plaque that his hometown awarded him in 2007, and the Order of the British Empire in 2008 for his services to music.

Cocker has been ranked #97 on Rolling Stone's 100 greatest singers list.

His colleagues have nothing but pure praises for him.

Sir Paul McCartney remembered Crocker as a person who "brought so much to the world".

Cocker's friend Rick Wakeman, who plays keyboard for the rock band Yes, praised him for his rendition of "With a Little Help From My Friends," calling his performance "sensational," saying "e had a voice that was just unique."

Edgar Berger, chairman and chief executive of Sony Music Entertainment International, said: "Joe Cocker is a legendary artist of rock and blues history and yet he was one of the most humble men I've ever met."

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