The music world is in mourning following the death of singer-songwriter Chris Rea, best known for the perennial Christmas classic 'Driving Home for Christmas'. He passed away on Monday at the age of 74 after a short illness, his family has confirmed.
A Touching Final Message
In a poignant twist, the Middlesbrough-born artist shared a final, evocative post on his Instagram account just hours before his death. The post, shared on Sunday, featured an image of a car on a snowy motorway beside a road sign that read: 'Driving home for Christmas with a thousand memories'.
He captioned the image with lyrics from his famous song: 'Top to toe in tailbacks. If it’s a white Christmas, let’s hope the journey’s a smooth one.' The post has since been flooded with tributes from grieving fans, who noted its heartbreaking timing.
A Life of Music and Resilience
Chris Rea's career spanned decades, though he will be forever synonymous with his 1986 festive hit. The song has enjoyed remarkable longevity, re-entering the UK Singles Chart every year since 2007 and reaching number 10 as recently as 2021.
His life was also marked by extraordinary resilience in the face of serious health challenges. He was first diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at the age of 33, undergoing major surgery that removed part of his pancreas, gall bladder, and liver. He subsequently lived with diabetes, requiring insulin injections seven times a day by 2017, and also suffered a stroke in 2016.
Despite this, his creative spirit endured. He released two albums after his stroke: 'Road Songs For Lovers' in 2017 and 'One Fine Day' in 2019. He once reflected on his health battles, stating: 'I've had nine major operations in ten years... It's affected the colon, the pancreas, the gall bladder, the liver – and then I get a stroke.'
An Outpouring of Tributes
The announcement of his death, made by his wife Joan and daughters Josie and Julia, prompted an immediate wave of grief and remembrance online. Fans and fellow musicians took to social media to pay their respects.
Tributes highlighted not only his musical talent but also his well-known passion for cars and motorsport, with many noting the cruel irony of his passing so close to the Christmas season his song defined. One fan wrote: 'Safe drive home Chris...', while another noted he was 'a proper Teesside legend'.
His journey to creating the iconic song was humble. Rea revealed he wrote 'Driving Home for Christmas' while on the dole, after being banned from driving. His then-girlfriend, later wife Joan, had to drive from Middlesbrough to London to collect him. He initially resisted releasing the track, but was overruled by his record company—a decision for which generations of fans have been grateful.
Chris Rea is survived by his wife Joan, whom he met when he was 16, and their two daughters. His music, particularly the soundtrack to countless winter journeys home, ensures his legacy will endure for Christmases to come.
