Driving Home for Christmas singer Chris Rea dies at 74

Getty Images

Singer Chris Rea, the musician behind the festive classic Driving Home for Christmas, has died at the age of 74.

He died on Monday in hospital following a short illness, a spokesperson for his family said.

In a statement on behalf of his wife and two children, they said: "It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Chris.

"He passed away peacefully in hospital earlier today following a short illness, surrounded by his family."

The blues-influenced star had a string of hits included Auberge, On the Beach and Road to Hell.

First released in 1986, Driving Home for Christmas tells the story of a weary traveller making his way home in heavy traffic.

This year, it has been brought to new audiences as the backdrop to the M&S Food Christmas advert.

The singer-songwriter had suffered with various bouts of ill-health over the years.

The Middlesbrough-born native, who had been with his wife Joan since they were both 16, had his pancreas removed a few years after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at the age of just 33 in 1994 and then had a stroke in 2016.

The star never forgot his roots, telling Saga magazine last year: "I've always had a difficult relationship with fame, even before my first illness.

"None of my heroes were rock stars. I arrived in Hollywood for the Grammy Awards once and thought I was going to bump in to people who mattered, like Ry Cooder or Randy Newman. But I was surrounded by pop stars.

"The celeb thing has gone totally wrong in the sense that everyone has tried to top each other. They don't put the work in."

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.