His London-based agent, Barrie Marshall, said Cocker died early Monday of lung cancer in Colorado, where he has lived for the past two decades.
Cocker, best known for the songs, "You Are So Beautiful," and the 1980s duet "Up Where We Belong," with Jennifer Warnes.
Cocker was known for a memorable Woodstock performance and cover of the Beatles' "With a Little Help From My Friends."
The ballad "You Are So Beautiful," with Cocker's voice cracking on the final emotional note, was a Top Ten hit in 1975. He reached the top of the charts in the 1980s with the duet "Up Where We Belong," with Jennifer Warnes, that appeared in the movie "An Officer and a Gentlemen."
Cocker also had hits with Randy Newman's song, "You Can Leave Your Hat On" and "When the Night Comes."
Only one artist has ever covered a Beatles song and improved upon it: Joe Cocker's "With A little Help From My Friends". The arrangement (iirc by Leon Russell) so radically changed the song structure that new sheet music had to be published for his version.
