Chris Rea died on December 22nd. Like George Michael, Shane MacGowan and Dean Martin, the “Driving Home For Christmas” singer died at Christmas time.
Christmas songs are characterized by warmth, homecoming and comfort. It is all the more sad that some of their best-known performers died at Christmas time. Now Chris Rea also belongs to this circle. The British singer and guitarist, whose “Driving Home For Christmas” has been a holiday staple for decades, has died aged 74.
Farewell with the family
His family confirmed the musician’s death today, December 22nd. A spokesman for his wife and two children said: “It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Chris.” After a short illness, Rea died peacefully in the hospital surrounded by his family on the morning of December 22, 2025.
If only the songs remain
Other musicians who had written a Christmas hit throughout their lives also died at Christmas time. With Rea’s death, this “sad tradition” of Christmas pop history is strengthened. George Michael from the duo “WHAM!”, creator of “Last Christmas,” also died at a contemplative time, on December 25, 2016. Shane MacGowan from the Pogues died shortly before Christmas in 2023 – they released “Fairytale of New York” in 1988. Dean Martin, the performer of “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”, died on December 25, 1995.
The family announced Chris Rea’s death on Instagram:
Born out of frustration and hope
In 1986, Chris Rea released the Christmas classic. At the beginning of December 2025, Rea said in an interview with “The Independent” that he had written the song when his record contract was about to expire, the manager wanted to quit, and he had to be driven by his wife in the old Austin Mini from Abbey Road Studios to Middlesbrough because he was banned from driving. In the snow and traffic jams, surrounded by equally frustrated drivers, he jokingly began singing the famous line and wrote the first lines of “Driving Home For Christmas” in a notepad. “It’s frustrating and hopeful at the same time, like all Christmas classics,” he said of his hit. In Germany, the song has been in the charts every Christmas since 2007.
From ice cream seller to blues rocker
Chris Rea was born on March 4, 1951 in Middlesbrough to an Italian father and an Irish mother. His professional career began far away from music – in his family’s ice cream business. It wasn’t until his early 20s that he turned serious to music, teaching himself to play guitar and developing his signature slide guitar style.
After early years in the band “Magdalene,” he had his breakthrough in 1978 with “Fool (If You Think It’s Over),” which earned him a Grammy nomination. Decades of great success followed. Rea released over 25 studio albums, including the chart-toppers The Road To Hell (1989) and Auberge (1991).