Chris Rea whose name is known for creating evergreen hit like Driving Home for Christmas   has peacefully passed away at the age of 74.

The unfortunate news was confirmed through a spokesperson of the late singer's family. The representative further revealed that the Middlesbrough-born died in hospital following a short illness.

Rea released 25 studio albums and sold more than 30 million records globally in his five-decade-long professional career.

The vocalist rose to fame mainly for his talent of combining blues, pop, soul and soft rock. 

The Fool singer witnessed major success in his career including six consecutive UK top-10 albums two of which reached number one.

Rea was born in 1951 to an Italian father and an Irish mother. Rea often expresses his thoughts about himself as an outsider while growing up in Middlesbrough.

Before joining the music industry the singer worked at his father's ice cream shop as labour.

The Blue Cafe vocalist chose to build his solo career in 1974 and received a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist after his song Fool.

Despite industry struggles Rea’s fortunes turned with Water Sign (1985) followed by his most successful era in the late 1980s.

Driving Home for Christmas originally recorded in 1986 became a perennial festive favourite reaching a chart high of No. 10 in 2021.

The Nothing to Fear singer faced significant health challenges including pancreatic cancer, a stroke in 2016, and a collapse on stage in 2017.

Rea leaves behind his mourning wife Joan and their daughters Josephine and Julia both of whom inspired songs in his catalogue.

He is remembered as a distinctive voice in British music whose work continues to resonate across generations.