Chris Rea, Rock and Blues Singer-Songwriter, Dies Aged 74: Inside His Life Story

The voice of a thousand Christmas memories is gone. Chris Rea, the gravel-voiced crooner who captured the soul of the season, has died suddenly — just days before Christmas.

Chris Rea — legendary bluesman, songwriter, and the voice behind "Driving Home for Christmas" — has died at the age of 74. A spokesperson for his wife Joan and their two children confirmed the heartbreaking news on Monday, 22 December 2025.

"It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Chris," the family's statement read. "He passed away peacefully in hospital earlier today following a short illness, surrounded by his family."

Fans across the world were left stunned by the news, many only just having heard his unmistakable voice in this year's M&S Christmas advert, where "Driving Home for Christmas" once again climbed back into the charts — landing at number 30 in the seasonal Top 40.

From Middlesbrough to Music Legend

Born in 1951 in Middlesbrough, Rea rose to prominence in the 1970s and '80s with hits like "Fool (If You Think It's Over)" and "Let's Dance." His 1978 debut album, "Whatever Happened to Benny Santini?" — a title poking fun at the stage name his label tried to give him — earned him a Grammy nomination and set the stage for a long, soul-drenched career.

By 1989, he'd landed his first number one album with "The Road to Hell," followed by another chart-topper, "Auberge," in 1991.

But it was a modest little tune, written during a financially desperate time, that would go on to define him.

A Festive Classic Born in Hard Times

"Driving Home for Christmas" began in the most unglamorous way. Unemployed, low on funds, and banned from driving, Rea found himself riding shotgun in a tiny Mini as his wife Joan made the long journey to London to collect him.

"My now wife, Joan, she had to drive down to London, pick me up in the Mini and take me home. And that's when I wrote it," Rea recalled in a 2020 Christmas episode of "Gone Fishing with Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse."

When asked how he felt hearing the song today, he said simply:

"I think of that lovely little holiday in the Maldives."

Now one of the UK's most enduring holiday staples, the song earns a reported £200,000 annually in royalties and has brought in an estimated £7 million since its release — cementing its status as one of the highest-earning Christmas tracks of all time.

Fittingly, it found its final home this year on what would become Rea's last album: "The Christmas Album," released just this past October. The eight-track collection included a remastered version of his beloved classic, along with original tracks like "Footsteps in the Snow," "Joys of Christmas," and "Winter Song."

Released only weeks before his death, the record now stands as a bittersweet farewell — a final, snow-dusted gift from a man whose music defined the sound of the season.

Battling Through a Lifetime of Health Struggles

But behind the success was also a man who faced relentless health battles. At just 33, Rea was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer — a life-altering event that saw parts of his pancreas, duodenum, gall bladder, and liver removed. He later revealed he was also a type 1 diabetic and struggled with kidney issues.

Despite everything, Rea fought to return to music again and again.

In 2016, he suffered a stroke, but remarkably recorded and toured his 24th album, "Road Songs for Lovers," just months later. A year on, fans were horrified when Rea collapsed onstage during a concert — but he pulled through yet again.

In the same "Gone Fishing" episode, Rea rattled off a staggering list of surgeries and treatments he'd endured back in 1994 — a year he dubbed his "most successful."

"I've never really got over it," he admitted, revealing he took 34 pills a day to manage his health.

Facing Death with Grit — and a Grin

Despite the severity of his conditions, Rea remained unflinchingly candid and often humorous about his situation. When Bob Mortimer spoke of illness bringing him closer to his loved ones, Rea agreed:

"It was exactly the same for me. I was in hospital and the pancreatic cancer nurse comes in and tells me, 'It's not grade three cancer, phone your wife!' So I phone my wife and she pulled the car over and burst into tears."

He even joked about the fortune "Driving Home for Christmas" had brought in over the years — and the fact that he'd signed it all over to his wife of 57 years.

"I gave her all the money, all the rights to all the songs, and now she won't give them back," he laughed.

A Final Post That Said It All

Rea's final social media post, shared just one day before his passing, now reads like a bittersweet farewell — and a love letter to the holiday season he adored.

The image showed a snowy motorway from inside a car, with an electronic overhead sign beaming out a message to every driver.

"DRIVING HOME FOR A CHRISTMAS WITH A THOUSAND MEMORIES," it read.

In the caption, Rea — ever poetic, ever playful — wrote, "Top to toe in tailbacks ❄️🚗 If it's a white Christmas, let's hope the journey's a smooth one."