Celebrated English blues singer, Chris Rea has passed away at the age of 74. Best known for his classic festive ballad, ‘Driving Home For Christmas’, Rea’s family confirmed he passed away in hospital not long after suffering a short spell of illness. The legendary artist is reported to have passed comfortably with his loved ones by his side.
The musician, full name, Christopher Anton Rea was born on March 4, 1951 in Middlesbrough, England to an Italian father and Irish mother. He initially picked up a guitar at the age of 21, arguably a late bloomer in the music world and began playing in small local bands
During his musical career, spanning over more than five decades, Rea released a staggering 25 studio albums, two of which shot straight to the top of the UK albums chart. He became a staple of the British music scene in the late 1980’s and solidified his reputation as one of the UK’s most distinctive singer-songwriters.
Perhaps his most well-known song, ‘Driving Home For Christmas’ perfectly encapsulates the excitement most of us get when returning to our families in the festive season at the very end of a long year. The song was originally recorded in 1986 and over the years since its release it continues to climb the charts, making a resurgence as countless individuals listen to it whilst driving home for christmas. The initial version of the song was released as a B-side to Rea’s single, ‘Hello Friend’ in 1986. Upon its original release the song gained modest success, however since 2007 the song has made a reappearance on the UK Singles chart every christmas season.
Rea never originally planned to make a christmas song and was inspire during his very own experience driving home for christmas with his wife. Rea needed to drive home to Middlesbrough from Abbey Road Studios in London in order to save money as train tickets were (and still are) rather pricey.
Rea was notorious for experiencing health struggles behind closed doors throughout his career, this greatly influenced his shift into the blues music style.
Never taking his music ventures onto American soil, Rea never toured in the United States despite his 1978 single ‘Fool (If You Think It’s over) reaching. No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Rea’s journey as a musician was marked not only by his successes but also by his struggles. He had severe health hardships in his personal life, receiving a diagnosis for pancreatic cancer in 2001. To combat this Rea underwent major surgery removing his gallbladder, pancreas and part of his liver, this procedure left him with Type 1 Diabetes. In 2016 he unfortunately suffered a stroke however against all odds continued to go on tour and produce new music.
Also, a passionate car enthusiast, Rea competed in professional racing intertwining his love for all things cars into his musical work.
Rea’s soul is bound to live on within his music and in the hearts of his wife Joan and daughters Josephine and Julia. Countless festive tributes are pouring in as we speak.
