Chris Rea, the English blues rocker whose decades-long career saw him top the UK charts on numerous occasions, has passed away at the age of 74, his family has confirmed.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Chris, who died peacefully earlier today following a short illness,” a post on Rea's official Instagram account read.
“Chris’s music has created the soundtrack to many lives, and his legacy will live on through the songs he leaves behind.”
Born in Middlesbrough in 1951, Rea began his musical career in 1973, joining the group Magdalene before forming The Beautiful Losers that same year. Following the group's split in 1977, Rea released his debut album, Whatever Happened To Benny Santini?, the following year.
The record didn't chart in his native UK, but hit No. 94 in Australia and the top 50 in the US. It also spawned the single Fool (If You Think It's Over) and earned him a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist.
As the years continued, Rea's output became more prolific, and in 1989, tenth album The Road To Hell gave him the first of two consecutive UK chart toppers.
His late '80s success was bolstered by 1987 single Driving Home for Christmas, which became a perennial Christmas favourite, going so far as to reach a peak of No. 10 in 2021. The track was also Rea's biggest success in Australia, where it reached No. 3, and led to his only concerts in the country.
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In 2016, Rea suffered a stroke, temporarily halting his musical career. He soon recovered enough to return to touring, though his live performances would come to an end in late 2017 when he collapsed on stage.
He would release his 25th and final album, One Fine Day, in late 2019, and turned his attention to series of retrospective reissues in the years prior to his passing.
The most recent of these – The Christmas Album – was issued in October, with versions of Driving Home For Christmas bookending the record.
