The Sheffield-born vocalist died last night at the age of 70 after a battle against lung cancer. While he scored a string of hits and a number of accolades in his career, he remains well-known for the 1968 rendition of the Fab Four song, which features Jimmy Page on guitar, BJ Wilson of Procol Harum on drums Tommy Eyre on organ.

McCartney says: "Joe was a lovely northern lad who I loved a lot, and like many people, I loved his singing. I was especially pleased when he decided to cover With A Little Help From My Friends. I remember him and Denny Cordell coming round to the studio and Saville Row and playing me what they recorded. It was just mind-blowing. He totally turned the song into a soul anthem, and I was forever grateful to him for doing that."