British singer Chris Rea dies at 74, days before Christmas
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Chris Rea (in a 2014 photo) found fame in Britain in the late 1970s with Fool (If You Think It’s Over), following up in the 1980s with hits such as Let’s Dance, The Road To Hell and festive favourite Driving Home For Christmas.
PHOTO: EPA
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- Chris Rea, famed for Driving Home For Christmas, died at 74 after a short illness, his family announced with "immense sadness".
- Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2001, Rea's festive hit recently charted at number 30 and featured in an Marks & Spencer advert.
- Known for his gravelly voice and slide guitar, Rea wrote Driving Home For Christmas during a difficult period, driving ban included.
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LONDON – British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, best known for the 1980s festive hit Driving Home For Christmas, has died at the age of 74, his family announced on Dec 22.
“It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Chris,” a spokesperson for his wife and two children said in a statement shared with British media.
“He passed away peacefully in hospital earlier today following a short illness, surrounded by his family.”
A post on his official social media channels said: “Chris’ music has created the soundtrack to many lives, and his legacy will live on through the songs he leaves behind.”
No further details were immediately provided.
The musician, born in 1951 in Middlesbrough, north-east England, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had his pancreas removed in 2001. In 2016, he suffered a stroke.
He found fame in Britain in the late 1970s with Fool (If You Think It’s Over), following up in the 1980s with Let’s Dance and The Road To Hell.
Known for his gravelly voice and slide guitar-playing, he recorded 25 solo albums – two of which topped the UK albums chart – while he also earned a Grammy nomination early in his career.
His 1986 track Driving Home For Christmas became synonymous with the festive season, often reappearing in the British singles chart in December.
In recent weeks, Driving Home For Christmas had reached No. 30 and also featured in the Christmas advert for supermarket chain Marks & Spencer.
The song “tells the story of a weary traveller making his way home, a moment of warmth, humour and holiday spirit that’s never lost its magic”, according to Rea’s website.
In interviews, he revealed he wrote the song during a difficult period eight years earlier when his manager had left him, he had been banned from driving and his wife was behind the wheel.
“I’d look across at the other drivers, who all looked so miserable,” he previously said. “Jokingly, I started singing, ‘We’re driving home for Christmas...’ then, whenever the street lights shone inside the car, I started writing down the lyrics.”
His home town football club Middlesbrough FC posted on X that it was “deeply saddened” by news of his death, calling him “a Teesside icon”. AFP
