Rick Davies, the co-founder, vocalist and songwriter for the British band Supertramp, has died aged 81. The musician died at home on Long Island last week after a long illness, the band said in a statement released on Sunday.
Davies, who wrote and sang hits including Goodbye Stranger and Bloody Well Right, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2015. His diagnosis and need for aggressive treatment meant the band had to cancel a reunion tour around Europe later that year.
Born in Swindon in 1944, Davies developed a love of music after listening to Gene Krupa's Drummin' Man. He first trained as a drummer and later as a keyboardist. In 1969 he placed an advertisement in Melody Maker for musicians to join a new band, to which Roger Hodgson replied. After a brief period performing as Daddy, the group renamed themselves Supertramp, with Davies and Hodgson both serving as frontmen.
Supertramp's breakthrough came with Bloody Well Right, written by Davies. Their 1979 album Breakfast in America has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide and won two Grammy awards. Davies was the only original member still in the band, with Hodgson having left in 1983 amid creative disputes.
Davies continued to perform even after his cancer diagnosis, often under the name Ricky and the Rockets. He is survived by his wife, Sue, who has been Supertramp's manager since 1984.
