Rick Davies, the founder, lead singer, and primary songwriter of Supertramp, died on Saturday, September 6, according to a post on the British rock band’s website. Davies had been living with multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer, for more than 10 years, the group said. He was 81 years old.

Richard Davies was born in Swindon, England, in 1944, and he began playing music at a young age. After cycling through a handful of acts, Davies formed the band that would become Supertramp in 1969. The group—featuring co-vocalist Roger Hodgson, guitarist Richard Palmer, and drummer Robert Millar—released its debut album, Supertramp, the following year.

Supertramp steadily gained attention and popularity throughout the 1970s, especially after the solidification of the classic lineup of Davies, Hodgson, saxophonist John Helliwell, bassist Dougie Thomson, and drummer Bob Siebenberg. It was 1979’s Breakfast in America, however, that really made Supertramp into a powerhouse act. The album summited the Billboard 200 and housed several notable singles, including “The Logical Song,” “Breakfast in America,” “Goodbye Stranger,” and “Take the Long Way Home.” Davies, as a singer and songwriter, was responsible for “Goodbye Stranger.”

Supertramp released just one more classic-lineup album, 1982’s Famous Last Words, before Hodgson left to pursue a solo career. Davies and a variety of bandmates continued to release studio albums until 2002. He continued touring, too, but was forced to stop in the mid-2010s due to cancer.

“Beyond the stage, Rick was known for his warmth, resilience, and devotion to his wife Sue, with whom he shared over five decades,” Supertramp wrote in tribute to Davies. “Rick’s music and legacy continue to inspire many and bears testament to the fact that great songs never die, they live on.”