British singer Chris Rea, best known for the 1980s festive hit Driving Home for Christmas, has died at the age of 74.<\/p>\n
“Singer\/songwriter and guitarist Chris Rea passed away earlier today in hospital following a short illness,” his family said in a statement.<\/p>\n
“He passed away peacefully in hospital earlier today following a short illness, surrounded by his family.”<\/p>\n
A post on his official social media channels added: “Chris’s music has created the soundtrack to many lives, and his legacy will live on through the songs he leaves behind.”<\/p>\n
No further details were immediately provided.<\/p>\n
The musician, born in 1951 in Middlesbrough, north-east England, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had his pancreas removed in 2001, and in 2016 he suffered a stroke.<\/p>\n
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He first 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.<\/p>\n
He recorded 25 solo albums \u2014 two of which topped the UK albums chart \u2014 while he also earned a Grammy nomination early in his career.<\/p>\n
His 1986 track Driving Home for Christmas became synonymous with the festive season, often reappearing in the British singles chart in December.<\/p>\n
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Chris Rea was known for his gravelly voice and slide guitar-playing. (AP Photo\/Christof Stache, File)<\/p>\n
In recent weeks it had reached number 30 and also featured in the Christmas advert for UK supermarket chain Marks & Spencer.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
In interviews, he has 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.<\/p>\n
“I’d look across at the other drivers, who all looked so miserable,” he previously said.<\/p>\n
“Jokingly, I started singing ‘We’re driving home for Christmas \u2026’ then, whenever the street lights shone inside the car, I started writing down the lyrics.”<\/p>\n
His hometown football club, Middlesbrough FC, posted on X that it was “deeply saddened” by news of his death, calling him “a Teesside icon”.<\/p>\n
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