Chris Rea, the English singer-songwriter and guitarist famed for the festive classic “Driving Home For Christmas,” has died at the age of 74 following a brief illness, his family announced yesterday.
Born in Middlesbrough, northeast England, Rea achieved international success with his debut single Fool (If You Think It’s Over) in 1978, which reached the US Billboard Hot 100 and earned him a Grammy nomination. Over a career spanning five decades, he released 25 studio albums and sold more than 40 million records worldwide, becoming one of Britain’s most prominent pop artists.
“Driving Home For Christmas,” written during a snowy journey while Rea was unemployed and released in 1986, has become a seasonal staple in the UK, reappearing on charts annually and featuring in holiday advertising campaigns. Rea once recalled that he wrote the song after being unable to drive himself home, with his wife Joan picking him up during the journey.
A motor-racing enthusiast, Rea even participated as a guest driver in the 1993 British Touring Car Championship, and cars appeared on the covers of his albums Auberge (1991) and The Best of Chris Rea (1994).
Despite serious health challenges, including pancreatic cancer in the 1990s and a stroke in 2016 that affected his speech and movement, Rea continued recording and touring. His final album, One Fine Day, was released in 2019.
He is survived by his wife, whom he met as a teenager, and their two daughters. His family described his passing as “immense,” saying he died peacefully in hospital after a short illness.
