Sir Paul McCartney has paid tribute to Joe Cocker.
The 70-year-old singer, best known for tracks including You are So Beautiful and his cover of the Beatles track With a Little Help from my Friends, died on Monday after losing a lengthy battle against lung cancer.
And Beatles legends Paul and drummer Ringo Starr were quick to pay their respects to their late friend.
"It’s really sad to hear about Joe’s passing,” Paul said in a statement to Britain’s Mirror newspaper. “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 Denny Cordell coming round to the studio in Saville Row and playing me what they’d recorded and it was just mind blowing.
"He 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 posted his tribute on Twitter, writing: “Goodbye and God bless to Joe Cocker from one of his friends peace and love. R.”
Other familiar names including Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler and comedian Ricky Gervais also used the micro-blogging site to remember the late singer.
“WE LOVED YOU FOREVER, WE WILL MISS YOU ALWAYS...RIP JOE COCKER,” Steven tweeted.
“RIP the mighty Joe Cocker,” Ricky wrote.
And Hugh Laurie added: “Oh god. Joe Cocker. The world now feels like a two-legged table.”
Joe is survived by wife Pam, his brother Victor, his step-daughter, Zoey Schroeder and two grandchildren, Eva and Simon Schroeder.
