Chris Rea, Driving Home For Christmas Singer, Dies Aged 74

British singer Chris Rea has died at the age of 74.

Announcing the news on Monday afternoon, a spokesperson confirmed that the musician had died earlier that day following what was described as a “short illness”.

“It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Chris,” the statement said.

“He passed away peacefully in hospital earlier today following a short illness, surrounded by his family.”

The Middlesborough-born singer was perhaps best known for his festive hit Driving Home For Christmas, first released as a single in 1988, which has gone on to become a festive classic, resurfacing in the charts in the run-up to Christmas each year due to streaming.

As well as a love of music, Chris was a car fanatic, with BBC News pointing out that this inspired many of his songs (not least his signature festive hit).

Over the course of his career, Chris had several hits including 1978’s Fool (If You Think It’s Over), 1987’s Let’s Dance and 1988’s On The Beach, as well as the top 10 The Road To Hell.

He also released 25 studio albums, most recently in 2019, and enjoyed back-to-back number ones in 1989 and 1991 with The Road To Hell and Auberge.

In his lifetime, Chris was nominated three times for the Best British Male prize at the Brit Awards.

In 1994, when he was still in his early 30s, Chris was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, for which he underwent an operation to remove his pancreas, gallbladder and part of his liver. He also suffered a stroke in 2016.

Chris had been married to his wife Joan Lesley since 1968, with the pair sharing two daughters, Josephine and Julia.

This article has been updated to correct a typing error.