- Culture
- Music
- News
Singer died in hospital following a short illness, his family say
Roisin O'Connor, Jacob Stolworthy & Kevin E G PerryTuesday 23 December 2025 00:31 GMT- Bookmark
- CommentsGo to comments
Bookmark popover
Removed from bookmarks
Close popover
CloseChris Rea tells the story behind his classic “Driving Home for Christmas”
Get the inside track from Roisin O'Connor with our free weekly music newsletter Now Hear This
Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This
Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This
Email*SIGN UPI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice
Chris Rea, the British rock singer behind the festive classic “Driving Home for Christmas”, has died aged 74.
The news was shared by his family, who said he died on Monday 22 December in hospital following a short illness.
A statement on behalf of his wife and two children said: “It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Chris. He passed away peacefully in hospital earlier today following a short illness, surrounded by his family.”
Rea suffered a number of health issues over the years. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had his pancreas removed in 2001, and suffered a stroke in 2016.
Born in Middlesbrough, Rea found fame in the late Seventies and Eighties with hits such as “Fool (If You Think It's Over)”, which was nominated for a Grammy, “Let's Dance” and “The Road To Hell”.
Recommended
The late Chris Rea on the ‘warmth and hope’ of ‘Driving Home for Christmas’
Pop culture in 2025: A ring for Taylor, an ill-timed KissCam ... and whatever ‘6-7’ means
10 hard-rocking Christmas songs, from AC/DC to Christopher Lee
His debut album, titled Whatever Happened To Benny Santini?, was released in 1978 and was named in reference to the stage name his record label wanted him to adopt.
Rea’s famous song “Driving Home For Christmas”, which features in this year’s M&S Food Christmas advert, was first released in 1986. Just days before his death, he spoke with The Independent about the story behind the song.
Among those paying tribute was his longtime friend, comedian Bob Mortimer.
Chris Rea death: Key points
- Chris Rea dies after 'short illness', aged 74
- Bob Mortimer calls Rea a 'lovely, brilliant, funny giant of a bloke'
- Statement from Chris Rea's family on his death
- Chris Rea's health issues over the years
- It took Chris Rea a while to hit the big time
Chris Rea, the British rock singer behind the festive classic “Driving Home for Christmas”, has died aged 74.
His family said he died on Monday 22 December in hospital following a short illness.
Chris Rea first picked up a guitar at the age of 21 (Ian West/PA)Jacob Stolworthy22 December 2025 15:09Chris Rea's family release statement
In a statement on behalf of Chris Rea’s wife and two children, a statement said: “It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Chris. He passed away peacefully in hospital earlier today following a short illness, surrounded by his family.”
Jacob Stolworthy22 December 2025 15:11Chris Rea's health issues over the years
Rea suffered a number of health issues over the years. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had his pancreas removed in 2001, and suffered a stroke in 2016.
Jacob Stolworthy22 December 2025 15:13Chris Rea was almost given a much different stage name
It’s hard to imagine Chris Rea being called anything else, but if his record label had their way, the musician wouldn’t have gone by his birth name, but the stage name Benny Santini.
Rea referenced this in the title of his 1978 debut record, Whatever Happened to Benny Santini?.
(PA)Jacob Stolworthy22 December 2025 15:14It took Chris Rea a while to hit the big time
It wasn’t until Rea released his eighth record in 1986 that he became a star in the UK and around Europe. His first No 1 record – The Road to Hell – arrived in 1989, with another (Auberge) topping the charts in 1991.
Jacob Stolworthy22 December 2025 15:17The story behind Chris Rea's hit single 'Driving Home for Christmas'
Chris Rea is the unmistakeable voice behind one of the world’s most popular Christmas songs, but he wrote it at a time when he was hardly in the holiday spirit. His record contract was almost done, and his manager had just informed him he was quitting. Rea was keen to get home from London’s Abbey Road studios to Middlesbrough, but he’d been banned from driving, and his label refused to pay for a train ticket.So, his wife picked him up in their battered Austin Mini and they set off for Middlesbrough. The snow set in, as did the traffic, prompting Rea to look across at the other drivers, who looked equally miserable. Jokingly singing that now-famous line, he started to scrawl down lyrics in a notepad on his lap.
Roisin O'Connor22 December 2025 15:27VIDEO: Chris Rea tells the story behind his classic 'Driving Home for Christmas'
Chris Rea tells the story behind his classic 'Driving Home for Christmas'Roisin O'Connor22 December 2025 15:30IN PICTURES: Singer Chris Rea
Chris Rea at the opening of the London Film Festival, 1996 (PA)Chris Rea first picked up a guitar at the age of 21 (Ian West/PA)
Rea performs on BBC TV show 'The Old Grey Whstle Test', United Kingdom, April 27th 1982. (Getty)Roisin O'Connor22 December 2025 15:34'It has that hope and warmth to it': Chris Rea on 'Driving Home for Christmas'
In an interview just weeks before his death, Rea told The Independent: "It has that hope and warmth to it, like all the classic Christmas songs. That and the frustration of being stuck in the motorway traffic – that’s what people relate to!"What’s funny is that I’d been banned from driving just before I wrote it, and we originally thought we’d give it to Van Morrison. It was a Fifties jazz thing, like he used to do. Then the record label put it out as a B-side of mine, and a DJ started playing it. And here we are today."
Roisin O'Connor22 December 2025 15:41Read our archive interview with Rea from 2004
“Chris Rea's down-home qualities and all-round good bloke demeanour were strongly in evidence when he ran through the music from his new CD, The Blue Jukebox, at Bush Hall in Shepherd's Bush, London, recently. Playing music that owed more to blues traditions than anything else, his onstage manner suited the old blues phrase "he never said a mumblin' word" as he and his group worked purposefully through the tunes. On that particular night Rea was not only in fine form vocally, but was playing sumptuous slide guitar of a suppleness and individuality beyond most guitarists, which-ever side of the Atlantic they live. Intrigued, I drove to in his Cookham studio complex, in Berkshire, for the interview.”
Read this wonderful archive interview with Rea from 2004:
Chris Rea: Confessions of a blues survivor
Chris Rea tells Keith Shadwick how illness led him back to his musical rootsRoisin O'Connor22 December 2025 15:52Older1 / 4NewerMore about
Chris ReaJoin our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments