PAUL AND RINGO HAVE LED THE TRIBUTES TO JOE COCKER

Paul and Ringo have led the tributes to rock and blues singer Joe Cocker, who has died at the age of 70.

Cocker, best known for his cover of the Beatles' song With A Little Help From My Friends, died at his home in the U.S. last night after a battle with lung cancer.

The prolific star, who released 40 albums over a career spanning half a century, became such good friends with the Beatles that they would play him their new songs before they had even recorded them. 

Paul said: 'It's really sad to hear about Joe's passing. He was a lovely northern lad who I loved a lot and, like many people, I loved his singing.

'I was especially pleased when he decided to cover With A Little Help From My Friends and I remember him and (producer) Denny Cordell coming round to the studio in Savile Row and playing me what they'd recorded and it was just mind-blowing, totally turned the song into a soul anthem and I was forever grateful for him for doing that.

'I knew him through the years as a good mate and I was so sad to hear that he had been ill and really sad to hear today that he had passed away. 

'He was a great guy, a lovely guy who brought so much to the world and we'll all miss him.' 

Ringo paid tribute to his friend, tweeting: 'Goodbye and God bless to Joe Cocker from one of his friends, peace and love.'  

Cocker was 'without the doubt the greatest rock/soul singer ever to come out of Britain,' his agent Barrie Marshall said.

His success as a blues and rock singer lasted decades, with the Beatles cover reaching number one in 1968.

Coker found international fame following his performance at Woodstock in 1969, where his storming set was regarded as one of the highlights of the festival. 

He won his first Grammy in 1983 and an Oscar for his duet with Jennifer Warnes, Up Where We Belong, which was used in the soundtrack of Richard Gere film An Officer And A Gentleman. 

He will also be remembered for his 1975 hit You Are So Beautiful and Delta Lady.

His 1987 album Unchain My Heart was nominated for a Grammy, although it did not win. 

Cocker was nominated for a Brit Award for Best British Male in 1993 and, in 2007, the rock legend was awarded the OBE for services to the music industry. 

The singer never stopped releasing new material, topping the charts in Germany just last year. 

His last gig came in Hammersmith, London, in June, 2013.

One of the British pop heroes of the Sixties, the former gas-fitter was as well known for his unruly curls and wild onstage gyrations as for his gritty voice.

On the road, he shared stages with the Rolling Stones and partied with Rod Stewart and Jimi Hendrix. 

Cocker admitted that the rockstar life got the better of him, saying 'things began to deteriorate in 1972' after experimenting with drugs.

He was pulled back from the brink by his wife Pam, who he met in 1978 and married in 1987.

In an interview last year, he said: 'It was Pam who helped me get myself back together.

'She made me think positively. I was very down on myself. She made me realise people still wanted to hear me sing, and convinced me I could escape the downward spiral.

'So I kept going. In America, I'd become a cartoon character, but my European fans were loyal. Even when I was at my most crazed, throwing my shoes into the crowd at gigs, they stuck with me. That helped me to rediscover my focus.' 

He calmed down and quit smoking in 1992. In a 2000 interview he said: 'I quit smoking cigarettes about seven or eight years ago. That's been the saving grace. That little "ooh-ooh" high-end falsetto was starting to get clogged up, and I was having trouble with my breathing.'I'll never completely come through all those years of drinking and smoking and stuff. But I know people who prefer my voice today to how I sounded back then.' 

The tributes continued to pour in as news of Cocker's death spread, with fellow rock singer Bryan Adams tweeting: 'Joe Cocker has died. RIP my good friend, you were one of the best rock singers ever.'

Classic rock songwriter and musician Peter Frampton said: 'So sad to hear of Joe Cocker's passing. 'You are so beautiful' is both Joe and Nicky Hopkins piano at their very best. Gonna play it now RIP'

Singer-songwriter Frank Turner tweeted: 'Wow. Sad to hear of Joe Cocker's passing. Incredible singer.' 

Irish pop star Ronan Keating said: 'So sad to hear of Joe Cocker passing. What a brilliant and unique voice. Peace'. 

Kiss rocker Gene Simmons tweeted: 'Sad to hear Joe Cocker has passed away. Our prayers go out to his family.'

Rick Wakeman, keyboard player for progressive rock band Yes, called his hit With a Little Help From My Friends 'sensational' and said: 'He had a voice that was just unique.'

He told BBC Radio 2: 'He was a very nice guy, as well as being a very talented guy.

'It is very, very sad for all his family and friends and for all who loved him. The great thing is with someone like Joe is what they leave behind, and that will be with us for years and years.'

He added: 'People talk about stage presence, and he really had it.'

Aerosmith frontman Steve Tyler said: 'We loved you forever, we will miss you always. RIP Joe Cocker.' 

Comedian Ricky Gervais also paid tribute, saying: 'RIP the mighty Joe Cocker.'

Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe said: 'One of the greats, Joe Cocker R.I.P.' 

Josh Saviano, who played Paul Joseph Pfeiffer in The Wonder Years, soundtracked by Cocker's version of With a Little Help from My Friends, said: 'We all lent Joe our ear, and he sang us a mighty song RIPJoeCocker'