Chris Rea, the singer and songwriter best known for the hit "Driving Home for Christmas," has died at the age of 74, his family announced.
Rea died in hospital after a short illness, according to a statement from his family to the British news agency Press Association.
Rea became famous in the 1980s in Britain with hits like "Fool (If You Think It's Over)" and "Let's Dance".
He is best known for his popular song "Driving Home for Christmas".
Two of his studio albums, "The Road to Hell" in 1989 and "Auberge" in 1991, reached number one in the UK.
"Driving Home for Christmas" wasn't an instant hit when it was first released in 1986, but the soft song proved a lasting success over the decades and remains one of the most beloved holiday songs.
The singer was born in 1951 in Middlesbrough, northwest England, to an Italian father and an Irish mother. He worked in various places after leaving school and helped in the family ice cream business.
He first picked up the guitar at the age of 21 and played in several bands before launching a solo career.
Rea had two number one albums in the UK in 1989 and 1991.
He had suffered from health problems, including pancreatic cancer, and suffered a stroke in 2016. In recent years he moved away from pop music and released several albums with a blues sound .
Chris Rea left behind his wife and two daughters.
