Joe Cocker of the raspy voice dies, 70

Washington

JOE Cocker, a British-born rock and soul singer who delivered one of the most electrifying performances at the 1969 Woodstock festival with his raspy version of the Beatles' With a Little Help From My Friends, and who later had a pop hit with You Are So Beautiful, died on Dec 22 at his home in Crawford, Colorado. He was 70.

His death was announced by his manager, Barrie Marshall. The cause was lung cancer.

Cocker grew up in the industrial north of England but was always drawn to the blues and soul music of the American South. He became a disciple of Ray Charles and developed a singing style that expressed a raw, barely contained sense of emotional urgency.

His impassioned interpretation of the Beatles' With a Little Help From My Friends was one of the highlights at Woodstock, the music festival held in rural New York. He transformed a gentle, shuffle-rhythm tune by John Lennon and Paul McCartney into a multi-layered, seven-minute rock anthem, enlivened by his rough-edged vocals and his fl…