Gerry Rafferty, Scottish Rocker, Dead at 63

LONDON (CBS/ AP) Scottish singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty has died at the age of 63 after a long illness, his agent Paul Charles confirmed Tuesday.

Charles said he had no additional information on how or where the man behind the hit songs "Baker Street" and "Stuck in the Middle With You" had died. Briatin's Guardian reports that the singer's daughter Martha was by his side.

Rafferty, whose checkered career included lawsuits and public bouts of alcoholism, is perhaps best known for his "Stuck in the Middle With You," which played during a pivotal scene in Quentin Tarantino's s"Reservoir Dogs."

Rafferty's classic record "Baker Street" — renowned worldwide for its distinctive haunting saxophone solo — climbed to No. 3 in the U.K. and No. 2 in the U.S. music charts in 1978. It still achieves considerable airplay on radio stations.

The singer also recorded "Stuck in the Middle With You" in 1972 while performing as part of the Scottish folk-rock band Stealers Wheel. The ode — or mocking tribute to Bob Dylan's raspy voice - sold more than a million copies worldwide.

Rafferty made headlines in recent years for his public struggles with alcoholism and had also undergone treatment for liver failure. He reassured fans of his well-being in February 2009 after a former bandmate expressed concerns over his health and whereabouts in the press. Later that year, Rafferty released the album "Life Goes On."

After initially cutting his teeth as a busker, Rafferty appeared with Scottish comedian Billy Connolly in folk group the Humblebums and released a solo record before founding Stealers Wheel.

Despite his brushes with negative press — from a long-running contract dispute with Stealers Wheel to scathing character critiques posted online by his brother, Jim — Rafferty was described by employees at his latest record label as a man who kept to himself and shunned the spotlight.