A giant guitar at a music festival
A giant guitar is pictured during the Hellfest music Festival in Clisson, western France, June 20, 2014. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

British singer Joe Cocker passed away at 70 in his Crawford residence on Monday, Dec. 22. The cause of death was declared to be lung cancer.

Cocker was one of the most recognisable pop singers in the '60s and '70s. His agent Barrie Marshall officially announced that the singer had died of lung cancer. His cover of the Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends" became immensely popular. His claim to fame came after his performance at the Woodstock music festival in 1969. While he had various successful concerts in the United States, his experience in Australia was sour.

Cocker, along with five members of his team, was arrested by Adelaide police in October 1972. The Guardian reported that the officers had claimed to have discovered "Indian hemp" in the motel room of the singer. While the musicians pleaded guilty, they were fined $300 each to be released on bail after spending a few hours behind bars. According to one story, Cocker respectfully said,"There's some around here somewhere" when officers asked him if he had consumed marijuana.

Previous overseas bands like the Small Faces, the Who and the Rolling Stones were also involved in controversies after coming to Australia. One of the newspapers said that nobody needed Cocker or his examples as he represented those overseas entertainers who had no respect for the legal system in Australia. Another news reporter said that Cocker's passport should be marked so that he could never return to Australia again.

"They are as welcome as a load of Argentine fruit fly," the commentator said, while calling the group of musicians "unwanted" in the country. The Adelaide incident happened just after Cocker had rocked Sydney with the three-and-a-half-hour performance by the band. One of the press headlines declared it to be the "Best Rock Show Ever" in Australia. The opening nights in Sydney were reportedly "ecstatic." Even Cocker said after his first Sydney concert that it was the best gig he had done in years.

New York Times reported that Paul McCartney issue a statement after Cocker's death. The statement appreciates Cocker for his "mind-blowing" version of the Beatles' song which he "turned the song into a soul anthem." McCartney said that he would be forever grateful to the singer for that.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@IBTimes.com.au