Rick Davies, a founding member and principal songwriter of the 1970s British rock band Supertramp, died on Sept. 5, 2025, at his home on Long Island after a long battle with cancer. He was 81.
The death was announced in a statement from the band, which said, "The Supertramp Partnership is very sad to announce the death of the Supertramp founder, Rick Davies after a long illness. Rick passed away at his home on Long Island on September 5th. We had the privilege of knowing him, and playing with him for over fifty years. We offer our sincere condolences to Sue Davies." The statement identified Davies' widow as Sue.
Davies co-founded Supertramp in January 1970 after meeting fellow singer-songwriter Roger Hodgson in 1969 when Hodgson answered an ad seeking musicians. The pair initially performed under the name Daddy before adopting the Supertramp moniker. The classic lineup that brought the group international success included Davies, Hodgson, Dougie Thomson, Bob C. Siebenberg and John Helliwell, who performed together most prominently between 1973 and 1983.
Supertramp attained widespread commercial success in the mid- to late-1970s and early 1980s with radio staples such as "Give a Little Bit," "The Logical Song," "Take the Long Way Home" and the multi-platinum album Breakfast in America. That 1979 album was nominated for Album of the Year at the 1980 Grammy Awards and remains among the band's best-known work. The group earned multiple Grammy nominations over its career and achieved significant sales milestones, including two albums that went diamond in Canada.
Tensions within the band led Hodgson to leave following the 1982 album ...Famous Last Words..., and Davies continued Supertramp with other members and collaborators. The band recorded sporadically in subsequent decades, releasing the studio album Slow Motion in 2002 and reuniting for select performances. In 2015, a planned 25-date European tour was cancelled after Davies was diagnosed with multiple myeloma.
Born in Swindon, England, in 1944, Davies began his musical life as a drummer and later took up keyboards. Before forming Supertramp, he played in groups including Rick's Blues, which at one point featured singer-songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan. O'Sullivan has previously described Davies as a mentor in his early career.
Davies was widely recognized both as a singer and a songwriter whose baritone voice and keyboard work helped define Supertramp's sound. He shared songwriting and vocal duties with Hodgson during the band's most commercially successful years, and his compositions and performances remained central to the group's identity after Hodgson's departure.
News of Davies' death prompted tributes from fans and peers recalling Supertramp's influence on rock and pop radio in the 1970s and 1980s. The band's public statement expressed gratitude for Davies' musical partnership and offered condolences to his family.
Davies' passing marks the loss of a prominent figure in the era of arena rock and melodic progressive pop. He is survived by his wife, Sue Davies. Further details about memorial arrangements were not disclosed in the band's announcement.