Singer and guitarist Chris Rea, best known for the seasonal hit Driving Home for Christmas, has died aged 74.
A statement released by his family said Rea passed away peacefully in hospital on Monday morning, surrounded by loved ones. The cause of death was described as a short illness.
Rea, who released more than 30 albums during a five-decade career, blended blues, soft rock, and pop into a distinctive sound marked by his gravelly voice and slide guitar.
He was born in Middlesbrough in 1951 to an Italian father and an Irish mother, and often described feeling like an outsider in his youth.
His breakout came in 1978 with the song Fool (If You Think It’s Over), which reached number 12 on the US Billboard chart and earned him a Grammy nomination. That same year he released his debut album, Whatever Happened to Benny Santini?, a title referencing a stage name his label once pushed him to adopt.
Though early success came in the United States, Rea’s greatest commercial impact was in Europe. By the late 1980s he had become one of Britain’s most reliable album artists. His 1989 release The Road to Hell reached number one on the UK album chart, followed two years later by Auberge, which also topped the charts.
His most recognisable hit, Driving Home for Christmas, was first recorded in 1986 and later reissued as part of the 1988 compilation New Light Through Old Windows. Though it made little impact on initial release, the song has since become a UK festive staple, returning to the charts every December. It reached number 10 in 2021 and was number 30 this Christmas.
Rea often spoke of his mixed feelings about the track. He wrote the lyrics during a snowy car journey from London to Middlesbrough after losing his record contract and being unable to afford a train ticket. His wife drove him in an old Austin Mini, and the idea for the song came as they sat in heavy traffic.
Though best known for Christmas radio play, Rea remained committed to blues and often returned to its influences. In 2002 he released Dancing Down the Stony Road, marking a shift away from pop toward the genre that had first inspired him.
A self-taught guitarist, Rea did not begin playing seriously until his early twenties. He bought his first guitar while still working in his father’s ice cream business. He once said he was meant to expand the family’s café empire but preferred playing in the storeroom.
Outside music, Rea was a passionate motorsport enthusiast. He competed in racing events in Ferrari and Lotus cars, and briefly worked as a pit mechanic for the Jordan Formula 1 team in 1995, handling the right-rear tyre of driver Eddie Irvine.
Health problems followed Rea throughout his later life. Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in his early thirties, he underwent surgery in 2001 that removed his pancreas and other organs. He became insulin-dependent and later developed complications with his kidneys.
Despite this, he continued to record and tour. In 2016 he suffered a stroke but recovered to release Road Songs for Lovers in 2017. That same year he collapsed on stage during a concert in Oxford and was hospitalised.
Rea is survived by his wife Joan, whom he began dating at 17, and their daughters Josephine and Julia, both of whom inspired songs in his catalogue.
HT
