Singer-songwriter Dan Hicks dies at 74

American singer-songwriter Dan Hicks passed away after a two-year long battle with throat and liver cancer. He was 74.

Known for his traditional mix of folk, jazz and country music, Hicks took his last breath on February 6 in Mill Valley, California. News of his demise was confirmed on his official website.

"My darling darling husband left this earth early this morning. He was true blue, one of a kind, and did it all his own way always. To all who loved him, know that he will live forever in the words, songs, and art that he spent his life creating. He worked so hard on each and every detail -- they are all pure Dan," the post on the website read.

"So, Duke, Benny, Django and Stephane -- he's on his way -- you'll be laughing soon!," undersigned by the musicians wife CT Hicks, the post concluded.

Hicks was known as the frontman of the acoustic band Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks, which was a contemporary of the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane in the late 1960s San Francisco psychedelic scene.

Born on December 9, 1949 to a military family, Hicks moved with to the northern California city of Santa Rosa at the age of five. He began his musical expression as a drummer before learning to sing and play guitar.