Rick Davies, co-founder and singer of Supertramp, dies at 81

"LONDON -- Rick Davies, the co-founder, singer and songwriter 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 statement 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," "The the Long Way Home," "The Logical Song," and "Give a Little Bit." 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."

Rick Davies, co-founder, singer and songwriter of British band Supertramp, died at age 81 after more than a decade battling multiple myeloma. He co-wrote the band's music with Roger Hodgson and served as the group's voice and pianist, noted for soulful vocals and a distinctive Wurlitzer piano sound. Davies and Hodgson formed Supertramp in 1969 and produced hits including "Goodbye Stranger," "The the Long Way Home," "The Logical Song," and "Give a Little Bit." The band's 1979 album Breakfast in America topped charts, won two Grammys and sold over 18 million copies. Hodgson left in 1983; Supertramp disbanded in 1988, was revived by Davies in 1996, and last performed in Madrid in 2012.

Read at ABC7 New York