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Who was Chris Rea? All about Driving Home for Christmas singer who died at 74

Chris Rea, the British singer-songwriter behind Driving Home for Christmas, has died at 74, leaving a five-decade legacy defined by chart-topping albums, blues infused rock, and enduring seasonal classics.
posted by Ashray BS
Monday 12/22/2025 at 11:41AM EST
  • Chris Rea performs on stage at Zenith on February 23, 2010 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Stefan M. Prager/Redferns)
    Chris Rea performs on stage at Zenith on February 23, 2010 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Stefan M. Prager/Redferns)

    Chris Rea, the British rock and blues singer/songwriter who wrote one of Christmas’ best loved songs, "Driving Home For Christmas," has died at the age of 74.
    His family announced that the musician died in a hospital after a brief illness. Rea’s death has left a lasting musical legacy that has stretched across five decades, with the performer said to have sold more than 30 million albums internationally.

    Rea was born on March 4, 1951, in Middlesbrough, England, to a working class family with an Italian father and Irish mother. Growing up as one of seven siblings, he frequently said his childhood felt like that of an outcast, an experience that later influenced his songwriting.

    Prior to dedicating himself to music, Chris Rea had a series of temporary jobs, including working as a labourer for his father’s ice-cream business and possibly also manufacturing cars.

    Early career Rea started out in music in a band named Magdalene, playing locally in several pubs and clubs around Middlesbrough. He worked with the band Magdalene, whose line-up included future Deep Purple vocalist David Coverdale, and then with another group, the Beautiful Losers.

    After developing his talent, he was signed to a solo record deal and in 1974, he released his debut single "So Much Love." His breakthrough in America was 1978’s “Fool (If You Think It’s Over),” which went to No. 12 on the US charts and brought him a Grammy nomination for best new artist.

    After that promising start, though, Chris Rea would spend a few years trying to repeat it. He would later describe this time as creatively and professionally frustrating.

    A look into Chris Rea's struggles and other successes in the music industry

    By the mid-1980s, his fortunes had changed somewhat and he was experiencing new successes in Europe with albums like 1985's Water Sign. In the late 1980s, Rea entered the most successful phase of his career.

    The albums Dancing With Strangers (1987), The Road to Hell (1989), and Auberge (1991) made him popular in the UK, where both The Road to Hell and Auberge made it to the No.1 slot.

    Of his many hits, Driving Home for Christmas was perhaps his most iconic. The song was first released in 1986 but it barely made an impact at the time, becoming more popular as a seasonal hit that would regularly re-enter the UK charts decades later.

    Rea famously penned the song at a low point in his life as his wife drove him home after he had lost his manager, record deal and driving licence.

    Outside of music, Chris Rea’s love of motor racing ran deep. He had raced in the British Touring Car Championship and spent time as a pit mechanic for the Jordan Formula One team in the mid-1990s.

    At the time of his death, he was politically affiliated with Labour and continued to be active in social causes. As Rea grew older, he had battled ill health, including pancreatic cancer that resulted in the removal of his pancreas in 2001 and a stroke in 2016.

    Undaunted, he kept on making music and eventually went back to the blues that first inspired him. In addition to his wife, whom he started dating when they were teenagers, survivors include their two daughters, Josephine and Julia.

    TOPICS: Chris Rea, Beautiful Losers, Deep Purple, Driving Home For Christmas, Human Interest, The Road to Hell, So Much Love