RIP Chris Rea

Poor old boy. I watched him with Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse He seemed to be desperately ill then.

RIP Chris Rea 🎄

Such sad news. I’m sure it wasn’t his intention to ‘drive home for Christmas’ quite like this.
RIP Chris and thanks for the pleasure you brought to us.

Rest well Chris, thank you for the music.

RIP Chris Rea.

I saw him live back in the 70s. A great performer.

I am sorry to hear this. DH was a huge fan. We loved Let’s Dance, Road To Hell and of course, Driving Home For Christmas.

RIP Chris Rea

Very sad RIP Chris.

It is sad news. We went to a couple of his concerts and they were amazing. A very talented musician.

It is sad. 74 is no age at all. I know he had many health issues over the years..

How sad

Sad news, loved his music. I saw him in concert- I will never forget it. Probably the loudest concert I have ever been too... But he was good.

Sad to read this, particularly as he's just come to the fore on GN over on the other thread, so many of us nominated his "Driving Home for Christmas" as one of our favourite songs, I expect we'll hear it a lot now as a tribute. I also loved his Road to Hell.

RIP

Sad to hear this, as has been said 74 is no age now.
RIP and thankyou for the music. Driving Home for Christmas will go on forever.

Really sad to hear this. I was just watching him explaining to Bob how he came to write Driving Home for Christmas.
He’s had terrible health problems, multiple operations and a stroke - poor man. 😢

Love his gravelly singing voice, always a joy to hear, a sad time for his loved ones but he leaves a lasting legacy with his wonderful music.

Very sad to hear this. Poignant he died at Christmas time too.
RIP Mr Rea and thanks for the music.

RIP beautiful man. I just picked up a CD in a charity shop by him last Friday. Auberge.

Oh how I loved his Driving Home for Christmas song. Every time I hear it, it takes me back to many, many years ago when my lovely boyfriend drove for miles to be with me at Christmas. My boyfriend died shortly after that Christmas and it still brings on the tears when I hear that song now.

Aww I didn't know that, he was a good Northern lad.
It's a great tribute that his song will be played just now.

He was ill for years, maybe most of his life.
What a musical legacy he left though! So few to take the place of these remarkably talented musicians.

I watched the 2008 Gavin and Stacey Christmas special last night and Driving home for Christmas is played at one point and I thought to myself what a lovely song. Chris Rea has left as at Christmas just like George Michael did, both having big Christmas hits.

So sad he will be missed. DH felt an affinity with him, they were both born in Middlesbrough around the same time.
Also DH used to go to Rea’s ice cream parlour with his Granny.
Unfortunately one day DH was run over on the zebra crossing outside the ice cream parlour!
RIP Chris.

I was sad to hear this. He’d certainly had his health struggles to contend with over the years. We saw him live, I think in the early 90’s, when he opened for Eric Clapton and then they jammed together. Wonderful!

I believe he had the same surgery as my son recently had. He had his pancreas and bile duct removed and became type 1 diabetic but it gave him many more years. Great song. RIP Chris.