Chris Rea obituary: The singer who returned to his blues roots after unconventional route to stardom

The Middlesbrough-born singer-songwriter has died aged 74 after selling millions of records across his career

Chris Rea returned to his blue roots in the latter stages of his career (Getty)

Singer-songwriter Chris Rea, whose distinctive gravelly voice and slide guitar artistry brought us enduring hits like 'Driving Home For Christmas', 'Fool (If You Think It’s Over)', and 'Let’s Dance', has died at the age of 74.

The musician, who garnered Brit Award nominations and sold millions of records during his illustrious career, passed away after a period of significant health challenges.

Born in Middlesbrough in 1951 to an Irish mother and Italian father, Rea’s path to musical stardom was unconventional.

He took on various labouring jobs and assisted in his family’s ice cream business before picking up a guitar at the relatively late age of 21. Despite this, his innate talent quickly shone through, leading to performances with various bands and artists, including the legendary Hank Marvin.

His debut album, Whatever Happened To Benny Santini?, arrived in 1978, but it was in the mid-1980s that his fame truly soared across the UK and Europe, culminating in two number one albums, The Road To Hell (1989) and Auberge (1991).

Chris Rea has passed away at the age of 74 (PA)

Rea’s later career was profoundly shaped by a series of serious health issues.

Following the removal of his pancreas in 2001 due to cancer, an operation he described as life-changing and a cause of depression, he found renewed purpose in his blues roots.

"Once they’ve taken your pancreas away, the rest of your life is dealing with not having a pancreas, which is pretty awful sometimes, but I’m still here," he reflected in 2014.

This period saw him release several acclaimed blues albums, including Hofner Blue Notes and Blue Guitars, marking a distinct shift in his musical direction.

He once stated, "I wasn’t frightened of dying. It did look like the end but what got me through was the thought of leaving a record that my two teenage daughters could say, ‘That’s what Papa did – not the pop stuff, but the blues music. That’s what he was about’."

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This evolution led him to reflect, "I feel I’ve had three careers in one, really. There was the Benny Santini stuff, that came with a general sense of, ‘Who the hell is he?’ And then there was The Road To Hell stuff and now there’s the blues stuff… I feel very lucky."

Despite suffering a stroke in 2016, Rea demonstrated remarkable resilience, releasing the album Road Songs For Lovers in 2017.

Rea appeared alongside Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse on ‘Gone Fishing’ (BBC)

Although a subsequent tour saw him collapse mid-song at Oxford’s New Theatre, he continued to engage with his legacy, appearing on Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing in 2020 to discuss his festive classic.

Rea was married to Joan, whom he met at 16 in their native Middlesbrough, and they had two daughters, Josephine and Julia.

He often credited his family and music as his anchors during difficult times. "It’s music and family with me. I’m only one of four, that’s how I am.

I’m 25% of a unit. It’s always been that way and we like it that way. In between that there’s music," he once shared, encapsulating his enduring philosophy.