Rick Davies, the keyboardist and singer whose ad in a British music paper sparked the formation of Supertramp, one of the most commercially successful bands of the 1970s and early '80s, has died. He was 81.

The band said on their website that Davies died Saturday after having been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, more than a decade ago.

"As co-writer, along with partner Roger Hodgson, he was the voice and pianist behind Supertramp's most iconic songs, leaving an indelible mark on rock music history," the band said. "His soulful vocals and unmistakable touch on the Wurlitzer became the heartbeat of the band's sound."

The yin-and-yang dynamic of Davies and Hodgson would see the band become a regular fixture on rock and middle-of-the-road radio formats, highlighted

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