Chris Rea, the singer behind the beloved holiday song “Driving Home for Christmas,” has passed away. He was 74 years old.
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In a post on Rea’s Instagram account, the singer’s wife, Joan, and their daughters, Josie and Julia, confirmed the news.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Chris,” the post reads. “Who died peacefully earlier today following a short illness.”
The post further shared, “Chris’s music has created the soundtrack to many lives, and his legacy will live on through the songs he leaves behind.”
Born in 1951, Chris Rea went into the music industry in 1973. The British singer-songwriter recorded 25 studio albums, with two of them, The Road to Hell and Auberge, topping the UK Albums Chart.
Among his hit songs were “I Can Hear Your Heartbeat,” “Josephine,” “Working On It,” and “Julia.” He and fellow British singer Elton John also teamed up for the duet, “If You Were Me.”
Chris Rea was also nominated for the Brit Awards for British Male Solo Artist in 1988, 1989, and 1990.
Chris Rea Struggled With His Health For Decades
Although his music career was a success, Chris Rea had struggled with his health over the years.
He was first diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 1984 when he was just 33 years old. More than 15 years after the diagnosis, the singer-songwriter underwent a Whipple procedure.
Following the procedure, Rea struggled with diabetes and a weakened immune system. He was required to take 34 pills and seven injections a day.
Rea suffered a stroke in 2016. He quit smoking not long after to prevent any more strokes. Following the health scare, he recovered and was able to record and tour. However, the following year, he collapsed during a performance.
Despite the health struggles, Rea continued to push forward.
“It did look like the end,” he said, per the Daily Mail. “But what got me through was the thought of leaving a record that my two teenage daughters could say: ‘That’s what Papa did – not the pop stuff, but the blues music. That’s what he was about.'”
Rea further shared, “I’ve had nine major operations in ten years. A lot of it is to do with something called retroperitoneal fibrosis, where the internal tissues attack each other. No one knew it existed 20 years ago, and it’s completely unpredictable. It’s affected the colon, the pancreas, the gall bladder, the liver – and then I get a stroke.”