Rick Davies, the co-founder and lead singer for British rock band Supertramp, has died aged 81 after a decade-long battle with cancer.

The group confirmed Davies' death on Sunday, local time.

As co-writer with partner Roger Hodgson, Davies was the voice and pianist behind Supertramp's most iconic songs, leaving a mark on rock music history with hits like Goodbye Stranger and Bloody Well Right.

"His soulful vocals and unmistakable touch on the Wurlitzer became the heartbeat of the band's sound," the band said, whose progressive rock was among the most successful in the 1970s and early 1980s.

Born in Swindon, England in 1944, Davies discovered his passion for music as a child listening to Gene Krupa's Drummin' Man, which sparked a lifelong love of jazz, blues and rock 'n' roll.

In 2015,

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