LONDON — Chris Rea, the singer and songwriter greatest recognized for the hit “Driving Dwelling for Christmas,” has died at 74, his household stated Monday.
Rea died within the hospital following a brief sickness, based on an announcement from his household to Britain’s Press Affiliation information company.
Rea discovered fame within the Eighties in Britain with hits equivalent to “Idiot (If You Suppose It’s Over)” and “Let’s Dance.”
Two of his studio albums, “The Highway to Hell” in 1989 and “Auberge” in 1991, went to primary within the nation.
“Driving Dwelling for Christmas,” didn’t turn into an in a single day hit when it was first launched in 1986, however the light monitor proved to be an everlasting success over the a long time and stays one of many U.Ok.’s most-loved festive songs. It featured in a TV commercial for the retailer Marks and Spencer simply this yr.
The musician was born in 1951 in Middlesbrough, in northeast England, to an Italian father and Irish mom. He took numerous jobs after leaving college and helped out in his household’s ice cream enterprise.
He got here late to the guitar, choosing one up at 21, and performed in bands earlier than going solo.
He had suffered from well being issues together with pancreatic most cancers, and in 2016 he suffered a stroke. In more moderen years he turned away from pop and launched a number of bluesy information.
Rea is survived by his spouse and two daughters.
