East Hamptonite Supertramp Cofounder Rick Davies Dies

Rick Davies, the cofounder and lead singer of British rock band Supertramp — best known for their 1979 hit “Breakfast in America” — died on Sept. 6 at his East Hampton home following a long battle with cancer, according to the band. He was 81.

Born on July 22, 1944 in Swindon, England to salon operator Betty and merchant seaman Dick Davies, Rick’s love of music began as a child repeatedly listening to Gene Krupa’s “Drummin’ Man,” which grew into a lifelong passion for jazz, blues and rock ’n’ roll. After teaching himself to play the drums, he turned his focus to the keyboard and piano, which he played in Supertramp.

“His soulful vocals and unmistakable touch on the Wurlitzer became the heartbeat of the bands’ sound,” Supertramp said in a statement. “Rick’s music and legacy continue to inspire many and bears testament to the fact that great songs never die, they live on.”

The two-time Grammy-winning prog rockers released 15 albums, disbanded and regrouped between 1970 and 2002, with Davies serving as its longest continuous member after the departure of longtime collaborator Roger Hodgson. 

The band continued to tour until 2015, when Davies was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer. More recently, he played locally with Ricky and The Rockets.

Beyond the stage, the band noted that Davies was known for his warmth, resilience, and devotion to his wife Sue, to whom he was married for more than five decades.  

Funeral service information was not immediately available.