Musician Rick Davies, co-founder and iconic voice of the band Supertramp, has died at the age of 81.

He had been battling an illness for years, the musical group announced in a statement.

Musician Rick Davies, co-founder of the band Supertramp, has died at the age of 81, the band announced in a statement on Monday, September 8. He died Saturday after " battling multiple myeloma for more than a decade," it said. "He was the voice and pianist behind Supertramp's most iconic songs, leaving an indelible mark on rock history."

He is described as the "beating heart" of the iconic group, thanks to "his soulful voice and his incomparable touch on the Wurlitzer" , an electric piano characteristic of the British rock group's music. Along with Roger Hodgson, he is one of the two main voices of Supertramp, notably heard in Goodbye Stranger or Bloody Well Right .

The musician's health problems prevented him from continuing to tour with Supertramp, but he still performed with his hometown friends under the name Ricky and the Rockets. "Rick's music and legacy," the statement added, " continue to inspire many and are a testament to the fact that great songs never die, they live on."